Oenotheque - Tsinandali Wine Museum
At the beginning of the 19th century, Alexander Chavchavadze introduced European wine-making technology to Georgia, and created a new standard of Georgian wine. He arranged an enterprise for wine production and the steam distillation of vodka at the Tsinandali Estate, built a huge underground wine-cellar, and placed large clay wine-jars there (Qvevri). He also opened a barrel workshop.
All this became a prototype for the Georgian classic winery!
Alexander's excellent wine collection is preserved today within the historical enoteca in Tsinandali, counting over 16,500 bottles of 70 wine varieties. This collection includes the Tsinandali Estate Saperavi of 1839, the oldest bottled wine in Georgia, bottled in 1841 in Chavchavadzes’ cellar.
Along with the wines made in the cellar, unique foreign exhibits are also kept at the Tsinandali Wine Museum. Some of the wonders you can discover there are the best wines of the 19th century Chateau Lafite, Chateau Margaux and Chateau d'Yquem, as well as Japanese beer bottled in the early 20th century.
The tradition introduced by Alexander still exists at the Tsinandali Wine Museum, and 100 bottles of each type of wine bottled in the Tsinandali cellar are kept as exhibits in the historical enoteca.
