Press

The most exciting and ambitious new winery in the country is undoubtedly Gilauri, a project dedicated to making collector-worthy Saperavi that elegantly expresses Kakheti’s biodiverse terroir. Winery founder Irakli Gilauri is a passionate collector of Bordeaux, Napa and Burgundy and collaborates with Michel Rolland’s international wine consulting team and local winemakers to make his wines, with the first vintage debuting in early 2027.

98 points

2024 Resistance and 2025 Gombori Chardonnay

“Following vivid aromas of balsamic, black coffee, and blackberry, slate minerality maintains freshness and imparts a mouthfeel with chalky, sensuous tension. Cassis, sweet soil, hoisin sauce, and violets offer a Bordeaux quality and style. Smell it, taste it, breathe it in.”
— Meridith May, SOMM Journal Publisher

Irakli Gilauri… is changing the future of wine from the most ancient of terroirs where wine was born: Georgia.

Irakli Gilauri is launching Gilauri Wines to…give wine collectors all over the world a chance to taste and connect with the best of the ancient terroir that is his home country of Georgia.

This episode, we’re coming to you from Tbilisi, Georgia, where this past spring I had the immense pleasure of meeting the visionary Irakli Gilauri, who is leading the way forward and shifting the paradigm in this ancient wine-producing country.

“Georgia’s dependence on Russia today is in wine only,” said Gilauri. “By making dry wine, we can wean ourselves off Russia.” He says he’s on a mission and has chosen Resistance as the brand name of his wines.

“Twice in my career, a man from Georgia (the country) has walked into my office and changed the way I think about the world of wine…The second time was two weeks ago and the man, a winery owner, was Irakli Gilauri…a person with a near religious fervor to prove how good Georgian wine can be.”

Hidden beneath a capital city lies a forgotten cellar filled with bottles dating back centuries…Long considered little more than legend, this remarkable collection may be the closest thing the wine world has to a true holy grail.

Irakli Gilauri is determined to prove that the world’s oldest terroir can produce wines that rival, and even surpass, the greatest wine regions on earth. After spending time with him, we’re starting to believe it.

Wine executive Irakli Gilauri, who’s collaborating with the agriculture ministry on the auction, said the trove would “put Georgia on the collectors’ map.”