Meet the Women Winemakers Making Waves in Georgia, One of the World’s Oldest Wine-Producing Countries

Wine tastings and cooking classes are followed by a leisurely lunch featuring a variety of Megrelian dishes, such as elarji (traditional polenta-like dish with cheese), with organic vegetables and herbs straight from the garden, perfectly accompanying Ninidze’s natural wines.

Ana Berakishvili, owner of Berika’s Winery in Kakheti

Photo: Jessica Jungbauer

Entering Kakheti, often dubbed “Little Tuscany” and Georgia’s most famous wine region, you’ll leave the tourist trail behind on the road to Berika’s Winery, driving past vast vineyards to the tiny village of Velistsikhe.

Instead of a big commercial enterprise, winemaker Ana Berakishvili welcomes guests to her family home, which spans 35 hectares of vineyards and is surrounded by fruit trees and vegetable patches. Besides wine, Kakheti is known for its succulent tomatoes, peaches, and plums thanks to its moderate climate. Here, Berakishvili specializes in grapes typical of Kakheti like Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, producing wines in a classical style. “I think in Kakheti, you have to make Kakhetian-style wines,” she says.