Tsinandali, Georgia

Georgian is a world-known country of wineries; it produces more than 50 variety of wines and 500 kinds of grape. One of the most known wine is Tsinandali wine. Tsinandali has interesting history of creation and a village of the same name, where it’s produced. Tsinandal village is located Kakheti region; the village is known for the first industrial winery in the Alazani Valley and museum-palace, where famous poet Alexander Chavchavadze lived.

The Chavchavadze were a princely family whose name is connected to many significant historical moments of Georgia. Garsevan Chavchavadze – father of the poet, was one of initiatives of the accession of Georgia to the Russian Empire; his signature is on the Treaty of Georgievsk. The Chavchavadze put their heart and soul in creation of family estate. The palace was built in 1820. Alexander Chavchavadze wanted the palace to be European, since he spent most of his lifetime in Europe.

The palace is surrounded by an English park with rare plants like palms or bamboo. The winery is as big as the palace itself, it possesses unique collection of wines with 20,000 bottles. It’s the first industrial winery in Georgia. Before its creation, locals used large, clay jugs for making wine. The Chavchavadze’s family estate became the center of secular and intellectual life of Georgia in 19^th century. Famous poets Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov, writer Alexandre Dumas, and other widely known public figures visited this picturesque estate.

Heartbreaking story of love and devotion between Alexander Griboyedov and Nino Chavchavadze started in Tsinandali.  This village with its palace was only the center of secular life of the country, but a place from where Europeanization of Georgia and modern Georgian winemaking started.