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Château Mukhrani awarded 58th position in the top 100 vineyards worldwide: a first for Georgia

 

Château Mukhrani has been honored by being named as the 58th best winery destination in the world, according to the World’s Best Vineyards 2021 annual ranking, besting many prestigious establishments across the globe. This is the first time a Georgian vineyard has made the list, which is compiled by an international panel of wine and wine-tourism experts. The assessment is based on the overall experience of visiting a vineyard, including a tour, wine tasting, ambience, food, staff, view, reputation, accessibility, and all the things that make a vineyard visit delightful and rewarding.

Highlighting the best

The World’s Best Vineyards is an annual listing that highlights the very best winery destinations in the world – the top places to taste terrific wines and learn about winemaking and grape-growing. Château Mukhrani is the first winery from Georgia to make the list, even out-ranking many famous wineries in the world’s best-loved wine regions, such as Napa Valley, Champagne, Bordeaux, and Piedmont.

A list from experts

The list is created based on nominations from nearly 600 wine, travel, and wine- tourism experts from across the globe. The 2021 list covered five continents and 18 countries, with 17 new names, including legendary wineries in France, Italy, California, and now for the first time, Georgia, represented by Château Mukhrani.

The panel, representing different regions of the world, is made up of sommeliers, wine journalists, travel experts and lovers of wine who travel frequently, each of whom have seven votes. Participants are asked to use their votes to nominate the wineries they deem to offer the best experience for visitors, and that they would recommend to friends.

Château Mukhrani – Past and present glory

The history of winemaking at Château Mukhrani started in 1878 with its first vintage. It was Prince Ivane Bagration, a descendant of the noble Bagrationi family, who, after returning from France where he learned the fine art of winemaking in the Bordeaux and Champagne regions, decided to introduce the concept of a château in Georgia. He implemented contemporary winemaking methods and started producing wonderful Georgian wines on the ancestral Mukhrani estate, which became a gathering place for a glittering crowd of Georgian and foreign elites.

Today, Château Mukhrani, with its 19-century palace, restaurant, beautiful gardens, and lush vineyards, unites Georgian history with contemporary wine tourism and hospitality.  

The château, located in the Kartli region near Tbilisi, cultivates 102 hectares of Georgian and international grape varieties and practices organic viticulture.  The wines created by natural fermentation perfectly express the individuality and authentic character of the Kartli terroir, which has resulted in Château Mukhrani wines winning more than 200 awards in international competitions worldwide.