Winery Khareba

Awarding Parthner

In the heart of Kakheti, near the foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, is the small city of Kvareli. This is the center of the Kakhetian wine producing region and is home to the unique “Winery Khareba” wine cellar. Gvirabi (which means tunnel in English) is carved in the rock of the Caucasus Mountain Range. The tunnel was opened in 1962 for the World Wine Congress. In the beginning, it belonged to the government and wine from the entire Kakheti region was stored here. Nowadays, it is the “Winery Khareba” cellar, used to age wine. The constant temperature – 12-14 degrees with around 70% humidity all the year round – creates the ideal, natural conditions for wine to age in French oak barrels, as well as to store bottled wines for extended periods. The tunnel consists of two main parallel tunnels and 13 smaller perpendicular ones. The total length of the entire tunnel is 7.7 km. The entrances to the long parallel tunnels have their own functions: the first is for tourists and is used for wine tours, while the second belongs to the industrial part, where the company stores and ages its finest wines in French oak barrels and steel tanks.