Winemaker
Even though most Georgians have moved to one of 3 main cities in Georgia, every Georgian has a so-called
Sopeli or “home village”. This is the place where the family has roots and is considered home. For the Mirianashvili family, this place is Shilda, a village renowned for its ideal conditions for cultivating the Saperavi grapevariety. Given the family ties and superb Saperavi, despite a successful career in banking, George Mirianashvili left the capital city Tbilisi in 2001 to live out his dream of growing grapes and producing wine. Located in the heart of the wine growing region of Kakheti, the 80 hectare property has been transformed into a winemakers
paradise where George has been living out his lifelong passion for winemaking. To this day, he is involved in overseeing every aspect of the wine production process, a meticulous micromanager with a keen eye for details, George directs all his energy to his primary calling and the essence of his life’s work revolving around crafting the finest Saperavi wines.
Winery
Chelti Winery is a family-owned winery established by George Mirianashvili, who also serves as the chief
winemaker. George is deeply immersed in the intricacies of wine production, while his children, Ana and Andria,
assume the roles in the operational management of Chelti Winery. Ana Mirianishvili spearheads development.
An exceptional student, Ana showed early signs of language ability and effective communication and has been
taking phone calls and writing emails on her fathers behalf since age 12. Andria joined the family business after
finishing his business degree and has largely taken the lead on financial planning and local markets. Together,
as a dynamic sibling duo, they’ve not only expanded Chelti’s footprint across 30 countries worldwide but have
also firmly established their dominance in the local Georgian market. Annual production of Chelti wines reaches
45,000 cases.
Vineyard
The vineyard is located on the family property, surrounding Chelti Winery at the lower South-Western slope of
the Caucasus mountain range. The vineyard is committed to sustainable farming practices, which encompass a
comprehensive approach to environmental responsibility. The vineyard places a significant emphasis on manual
labor, with approximately 90% of the vineyard’s operations are carried out by skilled hands. This hands-on ap-
proach extends to the harvesting process as well, where the entirety of the grapes are picked and sorted by hand.
The yield per hectare is managed using green harvesting targeting 5-6 tons per hectare. This strategic interven-
tion helps maintain the optimal balance between vine health and grape quality. Looking ahead, the vineyard has
ambitious plans to transition its entire facility to solar energy by the end of 2025.
Wines
