Zestafoni
An Imeretian wine town on the banks of the Kvirila — home of Tsolikouri, a lively market and a handy stop on the E60.
- Time needed
- 1.5 h
- From Tbilisi
- 190 km · 2:30
- Road
- Paved
- Car needed
- Economy class
- Season
- All year
- Entry
- free
Zestafoni is the town everyone speeds past — mistakenly. Built on both banks of the Kvirila river, it appears in written sources from the 1560s; the name comes from "zeda poni", the upper ford. Around 20,000 people live here today.
The town has two faces. One is industrial: a ferroalloy plant has run here since 1933, smelting manganese from nearby Chiatura and long serving as the town's symbol. The other is wine. Zestafoni municipality is the heart of Imeretian viticulture, the main country of the Tsolikouri and Tsitska grapes, and the village of Sviri gives its name to one of Georgia's protected appellation wines.
Why pull over:
- The lively market — Imeretian cheese, mountains of greens and village wine in reused bottles
- Family cellars towards Sviri and Shorapani — tastings without a single tour bus
- The ruins of Shorapani fortress on the town's edge, site of ancient Sarapanis
Zestafoni does not ask for much of your time, but on the Tbilisi-Kutaisi run it is the natural leg stretch — a market browse and a glass of Tsolikouri.
Practical advice
The market runs from morning to late afternoon and is liveliest on Sunday mornings. Arrange cellar visits in advance — formal tasting rooms are few and most winemaking is family-scale. The town has ATMs, pharmacies and simple canteens; for an overnight stay Kutaisi, half an hour on, is the better base. Traffic in the centre is chaotic — park near the market square and walk.
How to get there from Tbilisi
From Tbilisi take the E60 (S1) west: past Khashuri, through the Rikoti tunnel and down the Dzirula gorge to Zestafoni — about 190 km, two and a half hours. The route is almost entirely new motorway now; occasional roadworks on the Rikoti section can slow things down. Refuel in Khashuri or in Zestafoni itself. An economy car is entirely sufficient all year round.
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
Nearby places
Shorapani Fortress
The ruins of a fortress on the site of ancient Sarapana, at the meeting of the Dzirula and the Kvirila.
Ubisa Monastery
A 9th-century monastery of St George in the Dzirula valley, holding an almost complete cycle of 14th-century frescoes.
Kharagauli
The western gateway town of Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park in the Chkherimela valley — visitor centre, forest valleys and railway history.
Best car for this trip
Guides
- Driving in Georgia: What the Distances Actually Cost You Georgia is a small country with slow roads. Here is what 267 measured drives from Tbilisi say about how long y
Pickup locations
Car Rental in Kutaisi — 33 km (straight line)