Tsinandali Wine Symposium: Linking Georgia with the rest of Europe through wine

The latest Tsinandali Wine Symposium (7-8 November 2025) was hailed as ‘deeply inspiring’ by organisers after dozens of experts from around the globe gathered in Georgia to celebrate Italy’s place on the world winemaking stage.

More than 250 participants met at the Tsinandali Estate, where the Radisson Collection hotel hosted tastings, workshops and masterclasses. They included 20 distinguished tasters representing 12 nationalities, drawn from among winemakers, sommeliers, journalists and other wine industry professionals.

Allegra Antinori, part of the 27th generation behind Italy’s oldest winemaking house, led a masterclass for guests, sharing stories from her family’s winemaking heritage, which stretches back more than 600 years.

Other highlights included prestigious tastings that featured renowned Italian wines – including Sassicaia, Solaia, Roberto Voerzio, Giovanni Rosso and Montevetrano – while the symposium concluded with a special session showcasing Georgia’s amber wines.

George Ramishvili, founder and chairman of Silk Road Group, which took over the patronage of the historic Chavchavadze estate around 20 years ago, said, ‘It’s a great pleasure to welcome this year the new generations of legendary Italian winemaking families who carry forward such an extraordinary legacy. Their visit to the historic estate of Alexandre Chavchavadze, a visionary and pioneering winemaker himself, feels both natural and deeply inspiring.’

‘A bridge between nations, cultures and generations’

The first Tsinandali Wine Symposium was held in 2023, as a partnership between Silk Road Group and Bank of Georgia.

Since then, the event has become an annual highlight of the global wine calendar, with previous symposia focusing on Bordeaux Grand Cru and Burgundy classified wines, as well as Georgia’s finest bottles.

Ramishvili and Tsinandali Estate director George Kharabadze worked with Laurent Vialette, president of the Grand Jury du Vin, an independent Swiss association, to bring the event to Tsinandali. Enhancing Tsinandali’s standing on the global wine stage is part of Ramishvili’s wider efforts to underscore Georgia’s cultural credentials, including hosting classical music festivals and the Berlin Philharmonic Europakonzert.

Vialette said, ‘Here in Tsinandali, we taste more than just wines – we taste history, talent and the human spirit behind every bottle. This event is a bridge between nations, cultures and generations.’

Ramishvili added, ‘Tsinandali has truly become an international venue for appreciation of the finest wines of the world. I sincerely hope this wonderful tradition continues for many years to come.’