Your Guide to Tbilisi Wine Bars, the Incredible Cuisine of Georgia, and the Georgian Producer Who Started Everything

Hey guys!

I’m back in New York after spending last week in Georgia, and I’m still buzzing from the trip. The hospitality, the food, the wine, it’s all so deeply woven into the culture and I can honestly say I’ve never been anywhere quite like it. This week’s newsletter highlights some of the best wine bars I visited in Tbilisi, the unique and delicious food of the country, and the producer who helped launch Georgia’s natural wine movement. Enjoy!

A Comprehensive Guide to Wine Bars in Tbilisi 🇬🇪 

Highlighting the spots I spent most of my time at last week

The scene in Tbilisi is vibrant, full of coffee shops, wine bars, dance clubs, and everything in between. I honestly wasn’t expecting it and was pleasantly surprised. Here are three of my favorite wine spots I visited while I was there.

ღvino Underground

Vino Underground is a cornerstone of Tbilisi’s natural wine scene. Opened in 2012, it was the city’s first bar dedicated entirely to natural wines. The cellar is cozy, rustic, and perfect for a lively evening.

I spent my first night in Tbilisi here, meeting up with a few US friends in town for Georgia’s natural wine fair, Zero Compromise. The whole scene felt straight out of a movie: we walked into the brick-lined basement and found our group seated at a large table in a private back room, like some kind of top secret gathering. It reminded me of that one tavern scene from Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.

We sat around drinking, sharing stories, and opening bottle after bottle, well past the bar’s official midnight closing time. The one woman working that night seemed a little annoyed at first, but in classic Georgian fashion, she eventually joined us, pouring the group shots of Chacha (basically Georgian grappa) while dancing to Boiler Room YouTube sets until 2 a.m. And somehow, at the end of the night, she didn’t charge us a thing. It was a wild, and very Georgian, introduction to the city.

Warehouse

There’s no other way to put it, this place is absolutely insane. A legit wine lover’s dream. The Warehouse is tucked inside the Stamba Hotel, which itself looks and feels like a Georgian version of the Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton. It’s currently the go-to spot in Tbilisi for natural wine, offering hundreds of bottles from Georgia and beyond, often at prices so good you’ll think it’s a mistake. The selection is thoughtful, the space is beautiful, and it’s the kind of place you could easily spend the whole day.

I found myself wanting to spend more time here than anywhere else during my stay, either sipping wine at the industrial-style bar or lounging on the hotel’s leafy outdoor steps. And I have to emphasize just how crazy the setup is: there’s a back room lined with amazing bottles that you can walk into and browse like it’s your neighborhood corner store.

I came here twice and both of my visits were totally different. One night we showed up just before closing, grabbed a few bottles, and hung around until we got kicked out, only to move our group 10 steps away to their backyard with no issue. The other was my last day in Tbilisi, spent with a few wine friends in their ivy covered amphitheater. We we’re sitting on steps under the trees, it felt like drinking wine in a lost city.

When I go back to Georgia, this is the first place I’m heading.

DADI Wine Bar

DADI Wine Bar was opened in 2017 by two wine lovers from Moscow who wanted to create a space that celebrated the wines they cared deeply about. Today, it’s a hub for natural wine in Tbilisi and employs several staff members from Russia and Belarus, many of whom relocated after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in search of a new life.

One of my most memorable experiences in Tbilisi happened here. I showed up with two wine friends, expecting a quick glass and a small bite before heading to our next spot. Instead, we ended up in a deep conversation about the growing wave of Russians and Belarusians relocating to Tbilisi, as well as the thousands of little-known wineries scattered across Georgia.

We sat with some of the staff, most of them younger than me, who had left St. Petersburg and Minsk because of the war. They spoke about the wave of migration to Tbilisi, especially among those trying to eventually make their way to Europe. For many, Georgia is one of the few places they can go.

But it’s a complicated situation. While Georgia has become a refuge for many, the rapid influx has also contributed to rising rents and living costs, making it harder for native Georgians to afford life in their own city. It’s a tough, nuanced reality, one where the need for safety and freedom intersects with the economic strain on a country still finding its footing.

Beyond the politics, what really stuck with me was the generosity and warmth of the staff. They poured us some of the wildest bottles we had on the entire trip. Some had labels written in white chalk marker, others had no label at all. One bottle stood out: an old-vine cuvée from a grape I’d never heard of. The story? “This is made by an old man in Imereti,” they told us. “He only bottles 250 of these. He wants to retire, but our bosses visit him every year and beg him to keep going, because it’s just that good.” They weren’t wrong, the wine was incredible.

DADI is pretty special. It’s more than a bar, it’s a place rooted in purpose and people. If you’re ever in Tbilisi, it’s an absolute must visit.

A Rundown on Georgian Cuisine 🥟 

Three dishes that I ate the most of while I was traveling through the country

Georgian food is unmistakable. I grew up with friends whose parents came from post-Soviet states, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and they always took me to Georgian restaurants, swearing it was the best food from anywhere in the former Soviet bloc. I quickly fell in love with the cuisine, so getting to go straight to the source was a real treat.

One thing you should know: Georgians know how to eat. I was having four meals a day for a week straight, and loved every minute of it. Here are a few dishes that are staples of the country.

Khinkali

Think of these as Georgian soup dumplings, big, pleated pouches filled with spiced meat, herbs, and broth. You eat them with your hands, grabbing the top knot, taking a small bite, and slurping the juice before finishing the rest. Traditionally, you’re not supposed to eat the top knot, it’s undercooked and too doughy, a filler that distracts from the real prize. And I get it, when you’re eating Georgian food, you’ll need to save all the stomach space you can.

Khachapuri

This one’s the crowd pleaser: a boat-shaped bread filled with molten cheese, topped with a raw egg and a pat of butter. You mix it all together while it’s hot, then tear off pieces of the crust to scoop up the gooey center. It can also be served with a closed top, which is how I ate it most of the time. If you’re lactose intolerant, it might kill you, but unfortunately, it’s worth it.

Chakapuli

A springtime stew made with lamb or veal, tarragon, green plums, and white wine. It’s bright, sour, and herbaceous, nothing like the heavy, hearty stews you might expect. At first glance, it looks like the opposite of what you’d crave in spring, but one bite and it tastes exactly like the season it was made for.

Thankfully, you don’t need to travel all the way to Georgia to try Georgian food. If any of these dishes sound good and you’re in New York City, check out spots like Chama Mama, Chito Gvrito, LALIKO, SAPERAVI, Ubani, and Old Tbilisi Garden.

Producer Highlight ⭐️ 

One of our favorite parts of wine is the discovery: we’re constantly being put on to new regions, producers, and cuvées from our friends. We’ll never be able to try EVERY wine, but we want to take a moment to mention some producers that excite us!

Lastly, some of our dear friends just released a book! Part wine book, part cookbook, part road trip diary, it follows several natural winemakers across France and Italy, with intimate stories, incredible photos, and recipes straight from the winemakers’ kitchens.

Here’s the link if you’re interested! I already grabbed a copy myself, highly recommend it to any wine lover:

That’s it for this week! Georgia is an incredible place, and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone curious about visiting.

I’m heading back to Europe soon for a few more weeks, centered around Karakterre, the natural wine fair in Austria. I’ll be stopping in Warsaw, Vienna, Berlin, and Copenhagen, so stay tuned!

Thank you so much for reading along, and as always, drink responsibly 🥂