From its pivotal location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and embedded in the traditional winemaking of the ancient world, the city of Tbilisi hosted its renowned Winexpo from June 7-9, 2024. With well over 1000 wines available to sample, the atmosphere on these beautiful summer days in Tbilisi turned quickly into a welcoming event for Georgians and internationals alike. We sampled from all three categories of small, medium, and large producers.

Budeshuri Winery’s story begins at the start of the new millennium. The year Irakli Pirashvili was born, his grandfather Rezo, once mayor of the town of Sighnaghi, started planting the first roots. The word “budeshuri” is used in Georgian literature to describe something wide and bright, such as shining eyes or the sun.

Exploring the winemakers of Georgia, Saperavi Brothers hosted a conversation and tasting with Hilarius Pütz of AB Wines in Tbilisi. In front of a Tbilisi-based, multinational community, Pütz entertained us with his seventeen year journey through the Georgian winemaking world.