SHUMI Winery #21

A Leader in Georgian Wine Production and Preservation of Autochthonous Grape Varieties

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 is regularly recognized as the BEST PRODUCER OF GEORGIA at one of the most prestigious competitions in the world – MUNDUS VINI Grand International Award! SHUMI products are famous for their quality, they have earned more than 750 highest awards at prestigious international competitions, including prizes and medals that no other company in the history of Georgia has ever received.  

SHUMI WINERY has 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.

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, which today is considered the largest private collection in the world with more than 2000 grape varieties from 47 different countries. To this day, the company successfully fulfills this historic mission, with great enthusiasm continues to find and return rare grape varieties both from local private vineyards and from various collections around the world. Although the Georgian gene pool is rich in unique wine grape varieties and they allow you to create ideal wines, today, unfortunately, a large number of grape varieties are forgotten and are not used for economic purposes and wine production. The SHUMI Ampelographic Collection, which serves as a basis for scientific research, is included in the list of the FAO at the United Nations and has its own unique code. Georgian, French, Italian and Japanese scientists conduct research, experimental work, seminars for students and employees of various educational institutions. SHUMI specialists are constantly researching and identifying the potential of rare varieties of vines. SHUMI was the first to cultivate autochthonous vines that were on the verge of extinction, such as Ubakluri, Simonaseuli, Shavi Rkatsiteli and others, and created a new line of wines “Lost Collection”.

What is the SHUMI Tourist Complex and what are some of the attractions there?

SHUMI Tourist Complex spans twelve hectares, with diverse infrastructure and numbers 39 locations, including:

• The First Wine Museum in Georgia, where some exhibits are more than 6,000 years old.
• The First Private Ampelographic Collection in Georgia, which today is considered the largest private collection in the world with more than 2000 grape varieties from 47 countries. It serves as a basis for scientific research, is included in the list of the FAO at the United Nations and has its own unique code.
• The GENESIS Sculpture– the prototype of the statue of a 300-year-old vine – one of the oldest wine vines in the world grows in a private estate in the village of Tsinandali. In 2016, conditions were favorable for a harvest of GENESIS grapes, and SHUMI’s master winemakers produced dry red wine.  The quantity of wine was extremely limited – only 67 bottles. To create this exceptionally rare wine, the winemakers used the traditional Georgian method, fermenting the GENESIS grapes in a Qvevri – an earthenware vessel buried in the ground.  Then the wine was aged in a 250-year-old oak barrel. GENESIS wine is considered a completely new word in the world of wine!
• The VINOBIZA Pavilion: Ancient Georgia had its own calendar, in which the month when Georgians picked 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 wines “VINOBIZA”.  The walls of the pavilion are decorated with frescoes. These frescoes are painted with “Saperavi” wine and reflect history and culture of Georgia, depict the famous story of the visit of the first “official tourists” to Georgia – the expedition of the Argonauts, about 33 centuries ago.
• The Georgian Ethnographic Pavilion, where guests can learn about Georgian eno-gastronomic traditions, attend various interesting and fun master classes and other events, participate in the traditional Georgian Supra with toastmaster and polyphonic songs performed by the SHUMI ensemble, take part in various rituals, such as the Qvevri Opening and the Lazarus Ritual.
• The Marani, where SHUMI wines are made in Qvevri and aged in oak barrels.
• The Enoteca, a cellar vault holding SHUMI’s best.
• ZIGU House. ZIGU is an exclusive drink that has no analogues in the world, created by the patented SHUMI technology and produced from more than 350 rare grape varieties grown in the vineyard of the SHUMI Ampelographic Collection.
• The Gestalt House (Therapy)– a place to restore mental and physical harmony and find balance.
• Gastronomic zones, with a restaurant and terraces, cafes, verandas, pavilions and tasting areas with various activities including: harvesting grapes, pressing grapes in an ancient winepress and making chacha; culinary master-classes, baking Shoti (traditional Georgian bread) in a tone (traditional Georgian oven), cooking Georgia’s national foods, such as, churchkhela, khachapuri, Mtsvadi – Georgian barbeque, khinkali, and more, classes in Qvevri wine making and participating in Qvevri opening ceremonies. Lunch and dinner are available at the SHUMI Winery & Tourist Complex or at one of SHUMI’s biodynamic vineyards in the foothills of the dramatic Caucuses mountains and Picnic in Walnut Grove surrounded by wild nature. The menu reflets a wide range of Georgian dishes prepared from local high-quality ingredients and SHUMI-grown organic products. Some of the patented cooking methods and recipes are unique and do not exist anywhere else in the world.
• The Wine Shop, showcasing a wide assortment of different products and alcoholic drinks including SHUMI’s exclusives produced using our own unique technologies, among them exclusive beverages that have no analogues in the world. SHUMI’s products are acclaimed for their quality, they have earned more than 750 prestigious international awards, among them the prizes and medals that no other company in the history of Georgia has ever received.
• The Decorative Garden, with sculptures made by famous Georgian and international artists.

On the territory of the Winery and Tourist Complex, excursions and tours are offered in three languages (English, Georgian and Russian), and professional guides acquaint visitors with the history of Georgian winemaking, including the unique technology of the traditional Qvevri method and the art of making SHUMI wines.

SHUMI offers a wide range of services and entertainments depending on the time of year: organization of wedding ceremonies, an exclusive opportunity to plant a named vine in SHUMI Comprehensive Varietal Collection of Vines, the performance of SHUMI folk group, which you can enjoy during the holidays, participation in the ceremony of initiation into the Kakhetians, helicopter tours of the picturesque places of the Caucasus and the Alazani Valley.

SHUMI not only introduces the world to Georgian culture and traditional winemaking, but also contributes to the creation of new ones. SHUMI has a number of inventions and patents.

SHUMI actively participates in local and international projects.

SHUMI has set up its own wine school (SWS), where high school students, students and representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises and family farms in Georgia study for free, and where international students undergo their internships.

At Plumpton College, the UK’s leading wine institution, SHUMI sponsored a wine museum and also became an organizer of Qvevri wine production.

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 6 trophies, SHUMI became the winner in all categories according to the result of the WTA public online voting: Must Visit; Brand is the visiting card of the country; Progressive approach; Authentic location; Object d’Art; Unique program; Cultural mission; Magnet of the region; An effective event.

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 regularly receives TripAdvisor – “Travelers’ Choice” awards. SHUMI is the winner in the category THE BEST LOCATION FOR GASTRONOMIC REGIONAL TOURISM. 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.

Whether you are a true gourmet and wine lover or just someone who would like to experience the best of Georgia – SHUMI Winery & Tourist Complex is the right choice for you!