Tsinandali Estate

Tsinandali lies eight kilometres from Telavi on the Kvareli road and is the most polished museum complex in Kakheti. The estate belonged to Alexander Chavchavadze, a founding figure of Georgian romanticism who was raised in St Petersburg and poured the European taste he brought back into the design of his property. The house dates from the first half of the nineteenth century, and the interiors have been restored with period furniture, family portraits and the library.

Behind the house lies a twelve-hectare ornamental park in which Chavchavadze planted species brought from Europe and the Near East. The paths, lawns and the long view over the Alazani Valley survive, and it was here that the estate held the receptions that drew visitors as far afield as Alexandre Dumas, who wrote about his stay.

The cellar deserves separate attention. In 1835 Chavchavadze set up the first European-style wine production in Georgia here — ageing in oak barrels and bottling, instead of the traditional qvevri. The cellar's library still holds bottles from the nineteenth century, and the estate lent its name to the dry white Tsinandali blend of Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane. A ticket normally covers the house and park, with tastings priced separately; in summer the park hosts a classical music festival.