Winery Obene

Family-run wine cellar Obene is located in a small village of Mukhuri, Chkhorotskhu municipality, Samegrelo region, Georgia. “Obene” means an outdoor shrine place, mostly a sacral tree, at the base of which the prayers are performed for pressing the grapes for wine.

The winery was established by Mikheil Tsirdava. Everything started with discovering a family relic in ancestors wine cellar – a century old Satsnakheli and reading old Ampelography, where Georgian researchers had written about Megrelian winegrowing and winemaking. Satsnakheli is an angular plain basswood or giant nut-trees manual wine press, where grapes are squeezed by foot.

It took the owner almost two years to visit each corners of western Georgia to find those vines. Winery focuses on traditional Megrelian wine production and revives rare, endemic Mingrelian grapes, such as: Chvitiluri and Koloshi.

"It is great that we have remembered the qvevry (pitcher), but how it happened that we forgot Satsnakheli. However, making wine here is the most emotional process, and artisan wine made by the traditional method in qvevry and Satsnakheli is the most natural. The Chvitiluri grape juice has a yield of 70%. Leave it for fermentation for seven to eight days in satsnakheli (winepress), and then pour it into a qvevry (pitcher). This is the setting of wine in the Megrelian way, when the wine is fermented on full skin. I did it last year and the amber wine came out, ” told the winemaker.

Currently, winery Obene produces:

Ojaleshi - Characterized by deep red color and rosemary, lavender, berry and spicy aroma. Combines great with poultry, veal, lamb and fresh cheese.

Tsolikauri - Characterized by amber color. Citrus, white stone fruit, tree flowers, peach and pear undertones combine beautifully with poultry meat, fish and vegetables. 3000 bottles available.

Krakhuna - Characterized by amber color. Orange zest and caramel aroma pairs beautifully with poultry meat, fish and vegetables.

Otskhanuri Sapere - Wine has a deep red color. Characterized by plum, blueberry, earthy, spicy and lilac aromas. Best with poultry, veal, lamb and new cheese.

Today, 4 hectares of vine, the winery produces very limited addition, up to 60,00 bottles of qvevri wines using traditional methods in the work process.

Visitors can book cooking master classes: traditional bread baking in Angura, preparation of local Mingrelian dishes Elarji and Gebjalia, Churchkhela and wine degustation.

To book private tour, please, check detailed itinerary below or contact us here.

Day Trip to Samegrelo from Kutaisi

4 Day Samegrelo- Zemo Svaneti Rural Tour