Meet the Wonder Women of Georgian Wine

10th March 2026

There are many articles about women in wine around International Women's Day: It is indeed encouraging to see how many new names are emerging and how many women are choosing to step into the cellar and vineyard, or any aspect of the wine business.

In Georgia, however, the story carries a particular weight. For centuries, women faced a cultural taboo surrounding wine - the salary gap or lack of recognition appeared much later. Winemaking was considered a sacred ritual traditionally carried out by men, much like bread baking was the holy domain of women. Crossing that invisible boundary was believed to disturb the natural order of things.

Luckily, some women didn’t care. Over the past decades, Georgian wine has been enriched by women who lead vineyards, ferment wines in qvevri, and run wineries with confidence and vision. Their work shows that great wines are created by skilled, passionate people who love vines and wine. Women and men. Professionals.

Even more remarkable women market Georgian wines, write books, judge competitions, consult, and offer mentorship. However, today we wanted to introduce several women who are making wine in Georgia - nurturing the traditions and breaking the taboos at the same time. If there were a wine Olympics, they would certainly be among the flag bearers!

Baia and Gvantsa Abuladze – Baia’s Wine

The sisters Baia and Gvantsa Abuladze from Imereti have become some of the most recognisable women in Georgian wine. They learned winemaking from their grandpa, traveled abroad to work in the vineyards and cellars, and managed to expand the passion of one family into something bigger.

The Abuladzes work with western Georgian varieties - Tsitska, Tsolikouri, Krakhuna, Aladasturi, and Otskhanuri Sapere - and use traditional qvevri (or churi, the Imeretian variation) for fermentation. More gentle maceration typical for the region gives the wines a more lively and lifted character.

Taste it in the UK:
https://www.tasteofgeorgia.co.uk/georgian-wine-shop#!/Gvantsa%E2%80%99s-Aladaturi-Ros%C3%A9-Qvevri-2020/p/376847269

Ketevan (Keti) Berishvili – Gogo Wine

Keti Berishvili founded Gogo Wine, a project that embraces natural winemaking: minimal intervention, expression of micro terroirs, and unusual blends. This is not a classical Saperavi from Kakheti. Keti’s wines are fresh, slightly rebellious, and deeply personal, reflecting a generation of Georgian producers who experiment while staying connected to tradition.

Taste it in the UK:
https://www.sagerandwinebottleshop.com/products/gogo-wines-alissa-mi-amor-2021

Keto Ninidze – Oda Wines

Keto Ninidze created Oda Wines, when she moved from Tbilisi with her kids and husband and started a new life in the small town of Martvili in the Samegrelo region. Ninidze is focusing on almost lost Georgian grapes from the West, especially the Samegrelo and Abkhazia regions. Her iconic wines are made of Ojaleshi variety; however, Dzelshavi, Orbeluri Ojaleshi, and Tsolikouri are also good: fresh, gastronomic, dangerously easy to drink.

Keto Ninidze is also a book author, activist, and, recently, a podcast host. Her work for the Natural Wine Association is quite remarkable.

Taste Oda Wines in the UK: https://www.sagerandwinebottleshop.com/products/oda-wines-ojaleshi-leshkeda-2023 

Sofio Samteladze – Lomtadze Family Wine

Sofio Samteladze represents the Lomtadze Family Winery and is a member of the Women in Wine Georgia initiative. Working in a small family cellar side-by-side with her husband Tariel, they focus on traditional methods from the Racha region, and regional grapes - Tsolikouri, Tetra, Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli. 

Visiting their cosy tasting space is a pure pleasure, as the wines are simply excellent: balanced, fresh, and expressive, and you can enjoy them on their balcony, in the middle of the greenery.

Luckily, you can also taste some of Lomtadze wines in the UK:
https://8wines.com/wines/lomtadze-family-wine

Nona Mchedlishvili – Dano Winery

Nona Mchedlishvili runs Dano Winery, located in Khornabuji - a part of Kakheti that wine tourists often overlook. While there are no Tuscan-style vistas like in Sighnaghi, Khornabuji has a historical fortress that sits on the hilltop just over the house and the modest cellar. The wines from the sun-baked vineyards of this area have ripe flavours and are quite grippy and tannic.

Nevertheless, Nona and Davit, her husband, are trying to produce lighter ambers, playing with skin contact length and the amount of skins used in maceration. And do you see where the name comes from? Da+No, Davit + Nona = I love you 3000. That’s how many bottles they produce. Each of them reflects their love for each other and their vineyards that are more than 40 years old. By the way, there are not only classics such as Rkatsiteli, but also Vardisperi (Pink) Rkatsiteli and Grdzelmtevana, which are used in field blends. 

Taste Dano’s Wine in the UK:
https://80-20wines.com/product/dano-winery-rkatsiteli-2022/

Ana Dokhnadze

Young, ambitious, and extremely hard-working, Ana is leading Naberauli Wines to success, working with regional classics such as Tsolikouri and Aleksandrouli, creating elegant blends of Saperavi and Dzelshavi, and giving voice to rare varieties, such as Rachuli Mtsvane.

Her work brought her recognition - an award from the IWSC, and hundreds of positive reviews from the wine drinkers.

Ana is a part of the emerging Generation Georgia - the people born in the time of independence, who didn’t experience the direct influence of the Soviet winemaking practices, studied modern approaches abroad, and incorporated their family values into their vision of good wine. It’s so exciting to see what the future will bring!

Use a chance to taste Naberauli wines: https://8wines.com/wines/naberauli-rachuli-mtsvane-2023