SHUMI Winery #51
Sharing and Celebrating Georgia's Rich Cultural Heritage, Vines, and Wine
The cultural mission of SHUMI is to present to the world the oldest and richest cultural heritage in the world, which our ancestors have created over thousands of years, Georgian culture, grapevines and wine, to share and popularize the historical past and introduce our own innovations.
Georgia is the oldest settlement on the European continent, as evidenced by the excavated remains of people who lived here 1.8 million years ago. Georgia is recognized as the cradle of viticulture and winemaking, which has an 8,000-year-old tradition of winemaking. This is proved by the fact that the oldest cultivated vine pips, clay wine vessels, Qvevri tartaric acid precipitated in fragments and cultural vine dust, Qvevri and Qvevri wine-making technologies have been found on the territory of Georgia. Many words related to viticulture and winemaking in Georgian, including “wine”, which was spread in the language of the peoples of Europe from the Georgian language. In 2013, UNESCO inscribed the ancient Georgian Traditional Qvevri wine-making method in the Representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In addition to the method of making wine in Qvevri, Georgia has created many values for the world. Georgian culture is unique and has made an invaluable contribution to the culture of humanity. The UNESCO list is constantly updated with the phenomena of Georgian culture – architectural monuments, Georgian manuscripts, polyphonic songs, the Georgian alphabet, endemic varieties of wheat and rituals, etc. SHUMI has set itself the goal of collecting as many examples of Georgian culture as possible, expressing them in an artistic and creative form and introducing visitors to them.
About the Company
The symbol of SHUMI is a Griffin (“Phaskunji” in Georgian mythology). According to an ancient legend it was the griffin who brought the first bunch of grapes to people, which gave a start to the cultivation of vineyards on Earth. SHUMI Winery & ESTATE is located in a historical place and borders the National Park and Museum named after A. Chavchavadze. Previously, the territories of SHUMI and the national park were one property, which at different times belonged to the kings of Georgia and Kakheti, prince Alexander Chavchavadze, Georgia’s national poet, and served as the summer residence of the Russian Emperor Alexander III.
SHUMI's portfolio includes a wide range of wines
The company uses European wine production technology, the most ancient Georgian method of producing wines in Qvevri, and its own technologies, some of them have already been patented. The company is convinced that the potential of Qvevri has not yet been fully revealed and conducts many experiments using Qvevri, and with successful results, they implement it in production. This is how some wines have appeared in company’s portfolio: BARBALE – the world’s first and only ice wine produced in Qvevri, and SHOBILI – a Qvevri sparkling wine made using its own patented technology. In addition, SHUMI produces alcoholic beverages that have no analogues in the world: GENESIS – a dry red wine made from grapes of more than 300-year-old vine, LAZARE – a dry red wine made from more than 450 grape varieties according to the ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri method, and others.
For more than 25 years of its existence, SHUMI Winery has an impeccable reputation as a producer of Georgian wines due to the quality of its products. Since 2002, the company has been steadily and successfully operating in the international market. SHUMI exports its products to 32 countries of the world and is intended for real connoisseurs of alcoholic beverages.
SHUMI Winery is regularly recognized as the BEST PRODUCER OF GEORGIA at the most important prestigious competitions in the world, such as: MUNDUS VINI Grand International Award and ASIA WINE TROPHY. SHUMI products are famous for their quality, they have earned more than 900 highest awards at prestigious international competitions, including prizes and medals that no other company in the history of Georgia has ever received.
In 2025 and 2024 SHUMI Winery entered the Top 100 Premium Wine & Spirits Brands of the World. This prestigious recognition highlights SHUMY Winery’s commitment to excellence innovation, and dedication to creating memorable experience in the global wine and spirits industry.
SHUMI Tourist Complex
In 2002, the Georgian Ethnographic Pavilion was founded on the territory of SHUMI, where ancient items of everyday life of Georgians and winemaking were collected. Visitors were offered informational and educational excursions, tasting of alcoholic beverages and various master classes. The creation of such a place was the first initiative of its kind, which laid the foundation for the development of enotourism in Georgia.
Visitors to SHUMI have the opportunity to travel to the history of Georgia and get acquainted with its culture. Here they will meet the heroes and gods of Georgian mythology depicted in stone frescoes and painted with Saperavi, Georgian alphabet, the largest private collection of vines in the world, where they will get acquainted with the varieties of vines created by folk selection for millennia and taste them.
To date, SHUMI Tourist Complex has no analogues in the world, both in infrastructure and in operation. Nowhere else will you find so many examples of Georgian culture gathered in one space as in SHUMI.
SHUMI Comprehensive Varietal Collection Vineyard is a World Record Holder
Georgian autochthonous varieties have been existed for thousands of years.
At the end of the 90s, due to the difficult economic situation in the country, there was a threat of extinction of Georgian autochthonous varieties. SHUMI began active work to save them: collecting what little was left from the state collections, providing proper care, and also organizing expeditions to search for endangered grape varieties in different parts of Georgia. As a result, several dozen varieties were saved from extinction. Then the management of SHUMI took a decision to set up a collection vineyard and collect them in it, since it was unacceptable to lose the heritage created over thousands of years.
In 2003, in order to preserve the integrity of the genetics of Georgian autochthonous grape varieties, SHUMI created the First Private Ampelographic Collection in Georgia. It is currently the largest private ampelographic collection in the world! Today, the collection includes more than 2000 varieties of grapes from 49 countries.
The First Wine Museum in Georgia: SHUMI
Founded in 2005, The First Wine Museum in Georgia by SHUMI preserves the country’s ancient winemaking traditions, featuring artifacts from Kakheti that date back over 6,000 years. Most of the exhibits embody the life and development of winemaking in different eras of Georgia.
Mythology and SHUMI
Much of Greek mythology consists of Georgian characters and Georgian history. Greek sources were the first “reporters” of the ancient world and contain an invaluable “archive” for the early history of Georgia. Georgia (ancient Colchis and Iberia) occupies an honorable place in ancient mythology. For the ancient Greeks, this region was a country of mysterious knowledge and untold riches. In SHUMI, mythological heroes accompany guests throughout the complex: in the Ornamental Garden, the GESTALT House, the VINOBIZA Pavilion, the Marani and others. In the center of the complex is the majestic sculpture of the Griffin – the symbol of SHUMI, created by the world-famous Georgian sculpture and animalist Merab Merabishvili.
Georgian Calendar
Ancient Georgia had its own calendar. Before the transition of Georgia to Latin names, each month of the year had a name associated with agriculture or nature. These names can still be found in ancient books and texts. The month in which the Georgians harvested grapes and made wine was called “vinobiza”, which corresponds to the period: September-October. SHUMI patented the eponymous brand and developed a unique collection of VINOBIZA wines.
Georgian Alphabet
The Georgian alphabet is one of the 14 unique alphabets in the world that were not borrowed from other peoples and are still used today. Georgia has not one, but three alphabets that have evolved from one another and all three systems are recognized by UNESCO as the Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
In SHUMI, all the old alphabets are imprinted throughout the territory. The letters of these alphabets are also engraved on the keys of the marble sculpture “Printing Machine”, which Ornamental Garden of the Tourist Complex.
Rustaveli Pavilion
Shota Rustaveli is a great Georgian poet of the XII century, the author of the poem “The Knight in the Tiger’s Skin”. The poem is considered a documentary treasure of humanity, which is of exceptional value, so in 2013 the poem “The Knight in the Tiger’s Skin” was included the UNESCO Register of Memory of the World. Rustaveli wrote this poem as something revolutionary: 200 years before the European Renaissance, Rustaveli proclaimed the value of the human person, freedom and love; a hymn to friendship and equality, equality of women and men, which was a bold idea for the twelfth century.
To highlight the significance of the priceless Georgian heritage, SHUMI created a pavilion dedicated to Shota Rustaveli in its complex. The pavilion is decorated with a stained-glass window, where the poet presents his poem to the great Queen Tamara, and a fresco with well-known aphorisms in different languages (the poem has been translated into more than 50 languages). On the shelves there are various editions of “The Knight in the Tiger’s Skin” and other valuable exhibits.
Niko Pirosmani and SHUMI
Niko Pirosmani is the standard of primitivism (or “naïve art”) on a global scale. The great Georgian artist, self-made, proved that the lack of academic education does not prevent anyone from creating world masterpieces. In SHUMI complex, the connection with the work of the great primitivist becomes literally tangible: the territory is decorated with bronze sculptures based on his immortal plots. Right at the entrance, guests are greeted by the legendary “Janitor” (Meezove) – with the welcoming inscription “Gamarjoba”, and invites everyone to become part of the eternal Georgian holiday. The theme of Pirosmani’s art continues in the interior of the café GALLERY, where various bronze sculptures by famous Georgian artists are presented.
Ethnographic Pavilion
The Ethnographic Pavilion is the first wine tourist place in Georgia. The first tourist wine tasting in the history of the country took place here. The creation of such a place was the first initiative of its kind, which laid the foundation for the development of enotourism in Georgia. The Ethnographic Pavilion presents authentic objects of Georgian life: traditional Tone (Georgian oven), an ancient distiller and Satsnakheli – a grape press carved from solid wood. Here, guests are immersed in the culinary traditions of Georgia through unique master classes. In the culinary master classes, SHUMI uses flour from the legendary endemic wheat variety Tsiteli Doli to prepare some dishes.
Georgia is a unique genetic center: out of 27 main types of wheat, 14 are of Georgian origin, and five are strictly endemic. This ancient culture of growing cereals is recognized as an intangible heritage monument and is under the auspices of UNESCO, confirming the status of Georgia as the homeland of not only wine, but also bread.
When SHUMI decided to use Tsiteli Doli wheat flour for cooking, this type of flour was not available then. The company managed to find only seeds, and since then, SHUMI has been growing this rare wheat on its lands using a biodynamic method, offering guests the taste of real historical bread, churchkhela, khachapuri, etc.
Living Tradition: The Mastery of Georgian Polyphony
Georgian polyphony is the musical DNA of the nation and one of the most complex types of choral singing in the world. Recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of intangible heritage, Georgian polyphony was born thousands of years ago and has become an integral part of every feast, turning an ordinary meal into a sacred ritual. In 1977, the American agency NASA, having begun a global study “Voyager”, sent the Georgian folk song “Chakrulo” into space as an example of the musical abilities of mankind.
In order for guests to fully experience this living connection of times, SHUMI has created its own ensemble. The collective, consisting of local professional performers, introduces visitors to the unique phenomenon of polyphony. These ancient melodies, sounding under the arches of the pavilions, create an inextricable thread between the legendary past of Georgia and its hospitable present.
SHUMI: Crossroads of Civilizations and Georgia's Living Heritage
Travelling to SHUMI is not just a visit to a winery, it is an immersion in the very cradle of human culture, where myths come to life and ancient traditions find a modern breath. SHUMI’s commitment to authenticity and the highest standards of service has been widely recognized internationally. The Tourist Complex has been awarded many prestigious tourist awards, confirming the status of the company as one of the best eno- and cultural tourism not only in Georgia, but also in the world.
In 2025, SHUMI set a WORLD RECORD and received an official certificate as the creator of the largest private ampelographic collection on the planet.
In 2025 and 2024 SHUMI Winery entered the Top 100 Premium Wine & Spirits Brands of the World. This prestigious recognition highlights SHUMY Winery’s commitment to excellence innovation, and dedication to creating memorable experience in the global wine and spirits industry
SHUMI Winery is regularly recognized as the BEST PRODUCER OF GEORGIA at the most important prestigious competitions in the world, such as: MUNDUS VINI Grand International Award and ASIA WINE TROPHY.
SHUMI is the only Georgian company whose wines are included in The World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection.
SHUMI is the absolute record holder for the number of awards in the history of the prestigious international competition WINE TRAVEL AWARD (WTA), in addition to the Grand Prix and 9 trophies won in London, SHUMI became the winner in all categories according to the results of the WTA public online voting: Must Visit; Brand – Visiting card of the country; Progressive approach; Authentic location; Object d’Art; Unique program; Cultural mission; Magnet of the region; An effective event, Art & History Object.
On a regular basis, SHUMI is the winner in the nomination THE BEST WINE TOURISM AWARD of the national tourism award WELCOME TO GEORGIA.
SHUMI is the winner in the category THE BEST LOCATION FOR GASTRONOMIC REGIONAL TOURISM in the framework of WELCOME TO GEORGIA National Tourism Award.
For the first time in the history of Georgia, SHUMI became the winner in the nomination THE BEST PRACTICE RELATED TO ARCHAEOBOTANICAL IN WINE TOURISM at the international competition in Sicily organized by the Council of Europe.
SHUMI regularly receives TripAdvisor – “Travelers’ Choice” awards.
The territory of SHUMI Tourist Complex is regularly recognized as the most beautiful in Georgia according to the results of the annual competition “Clean Region”, implemented by the non-governmental organization of Georgia with the support of the Swedish government.
Whether you are a true gourmet and wine lover or just someone who would like to experience the best of Georgia – SHUMI Winery & ESTATE is the right choice for you!
Reviews
Amazing experience! Beautifully made place with rare attention to details to pleasure many senses. Georgian hospitality and service at its finest! The tour guide George is like and endless sea of knowledge about history and mastership of wine making and tasting.