Georgia Wine Festivals in May 2026: A Month Worth Planning Around

May in Georgia is a particular kind of chaos – the good kind. The mulberry trees are dropping fruit onto the pavements, the mountains have lost their snow at the lower elevations, and seemingly every weekend someone somewhere in the country is uncorking something worth traveling for. In 2026, the month of May has quietly turned into the most concentrated wine calendar Georgia has seen in years.

If you’re the kind of traveler who arranges flights around fermentation schedules, this is your month. And if you’re planning to combine the festival circuit with some winery visits in the countryside, our wine tours in Georgia make a good starting point — May is peak season, and the Kakheti valleys in particular look their best right now.

What’s On: The Full May 2026 Wine Festival Calendar

Nine events spanning the entire month, from ticketed salons in Tbilisi’s converted Soviet factories to free festivals out in the regions. Here’s everything confirmed so far.

May 1–2: Zero Compromise Natural Wine Exhibition

One of the tightest-curated natural wine events on the Georgian calendar, Zero Compromise does exactly what its name suggests — no sulfites beyond minimal, no fining agents, no concessions to commercial palatability. The producers here are the kind of people who will argue passionately about spontaneous fermentation before you’ve finished your first glass.

Two days, two different paces. Day one tends to be more exploratory; by day two, the conversations get longer and the pours more generous. The two-day pass at 50 GEL works out cheaper and, frankly, you’ll want the second day.

• Tickets: 30 GEL per day / 50 GEL two-day pass
• Book: tkt.ge — Zero Compromise 2026

May 3: Sherekilebi — Wine Salon at Iago’s Winery

Iago Bitarishvili’s winery in Chardakhi is one of those places that made Georgia’s natural wine reputation before the rest of the world caught on. His Chinuri — an ancient white grape variety fermented on skins in qvevri — is the kind of wine that makes sommeliers go quiet for a moment.

Sherekilebi (roughly translated: “the mischief-makers”) is the annual salon he hosts at his marani. It’s less of a formal tasting and more of a gathering — producers poured alongside each other, no hierarchy, no branded tablecloths. Space is limited, and it has sold out in previous years. Book well ahead.

• Venue: Iago’s Winery, Chardakhi village, Kartli
• Tickets: 40 GEL
• Book: tkt.ge — Sherekilebi

May 3: Saamuri Natural Wine Salon at Fabrika

On the same Saturday, Tbilisi’s Fabrika complex — the converted Soviet sewing factory that now houses cafés, studios, and a hostel around a central courtyard — hosts Saamuri, another natural wine salon running parallel to Sherekilebi. If you’re staying in the city and can’t make it out to Chardakhi, this is your May 3rd.

The Fabrika setting suits it well. You can move between producers inside and out, and the courtyard means there’s space to breathe after a few amber wines. The 30 GEL entry is among the better-value tickets of the month.

• Venue: Fabrika, 8 Davit Aghmashenebeli Lane, Tbilisi
• Tickets: 30 GEL
• Book: biletebi.ge — Saamuri Wine Salon

May 3: Wine Ambassadors Festival at Sheraton Grand Metekhi Palace

The same day, a very different register. The Wine Ambassadors Festival at the Sheraton Grand Metekhi Palace brings a more formal, hotel-ballroom energy to the occasion — think international buyers, export-facing producers, and wines that have been polished for a more commercial audience alongside those that haven’t.

The Metekhi location, perched above the Mtkvari river with the old city’s rooftops spread below, is one of the genuinely spectacular festival settings in Tbilisi. If you want to see what Georgian wine looks like when it’s presenting itself to the international market, this is the event for that conversation.

• Venue: Sheraton Grand Metekhi Palace, Tbilisi
• Tickets: 30 GEL
• Book: tkt.ge — Wine Ambassadors Festival 2026

May 8: Georgia’s First National Wine Day — Free

This one is new. Georgia has been producing wine for 8,000 years and has somehow only just established an official National Wine Day in 2026. The National Wine Agency of Georgia is marking the occasion with two simultaneous programs in Tbilisi: one in Abanotubani (the old sulfur bath district, 2:00 PM) and one at Gudiashvili Square (3:00 PM).

Entry is free, which means this will be busy. Gudiashvili Square is one of the more pleasant spots in old Tbilisi on a warm May afternoon — low-rise, tree-lined, with the kind of unhurried atmosphere that makes an afternoon of free wine feel less like an event and more like a good idea. Come early.

• Venue: Abanotubani (14:00) and Gudiashvili Square (15:00), Tbilisi
• Tickets: Free
• Info: Facebook event

May 9: Merab Kharbedia New Wine Festival on Mtatsminda — Free

Named after Merab Kharbedia, the festival on Mtatsminda — Tbilisi’s forested hill, reachable by the old Soviet funicular — is one of the more atmospheric free events in the city’s calendar. New wine is the point: this year’s harvest, young and still rough around the edges. It won’t be the most polished drinking of the month, but it might be the most characteristically Georgian.

The hill sits roughly 700 metres above the city. The views over Tbilisi from up here are the kind that make you understand why people kept building on this particular piece of the Caucasus for 1,500 years. Bring a jacket — it’s noticeably cooler than the streets below.

• Venue: Mtatsminda, Tbilisi (funicular from Chonkadze Street)
• Tickets: Free
• Info: Facebook event

May 16–17: Ioram Tarkhnishvili Wine Festival at Chateau Mepe Kalaki

One of the country estate events of the season. Chateau Mepe Kalaki (literally “King’s City”) provides exactly the kind of backdrop — vines, old walls, open sky — that makes you understand why Georgians have been making wine in this landscape for so long.

The festival honours Ioram Tarkhnishvili, and the two-day format gives it a more relaxed pace than the single-day Tbilisi events. The pricing is modest enough that going both days makes sense if you’re not rushing anywhere. Combine it with a night in the Kartli region and you’ve got the kind of weekend that’s difficult to explain to anyone who hasn’t done it.

• Venue: Chateau Mepe Kalaki, Kartli
• Tickets: 20 GEL per day / 30 GEL two-day pass
• Book: tkt.ge — Ioram Tarkhnishvili Wine Festival

May 30: Merano Wine Festival at Chateau Mukhrani

Chateau Mukhrani is the grandest estate in the Kartli wine region — a 19th-century royal palace and winery founded in 1876 when Prince Ivane Mukhranbatoni returned from France with an idea. He brought French winemaking methods, planted Georgian and international grape varieties, and commissioned a gardener from Versailles to design the grounds. The result, about 35 minutes from Tbilisi, is the closest thing Georgia has to a Bordeaux château in the classic sense — though the wines are entirely their own.

The Merano Wine Festival at Mukhrani is priced (tickets not yet published at the time of writing), which usually signals a more curated, smaller-scale event than the free public festivals. Given the setting — 19th-century cellars holding 60,000 bottles, a palace, formal gardens, Caucasus views — it’s the kind of occasion to book as soon as prices are announced. The estate produces award-winning wines from varieties including Goruli Mtsvane, Chinuri, Tavkveri, and Shavkapito alongside European-style international releases.

• Venue: Chateau Mukhrani, Mukhrani village, Mtskheta-Mtianeti
• Tickets: Priced — amount TBC
• Info: Check Chateau Mukhrani’s social channels for announcements

May 31: Bolnisi Wine of Origin Festival — Free

Bolnisi, in the Kvemo Kartli region south of Tbilisi, is better known internationally for its 5th-century Bolnisi Sioni basilica — one of the oldest surviving Christian buildings in the country — than for its wine. That’s beginning to change. The Wine of Origin Festival here celebrates wines carrying the Bolnisi geographical indication, which covers the volcanic basalt soils and dry continental climate of the southern foothills. It’s a part of Georgia that doesn’t make most wine tourists’ itineraries, which is precisely what makes it worth going.

The festival is free and takes place in the town itself. Pair it with a visit to the basilica — an extraordinary piece of early Georgian stonework — and you have a full day trip from Tbilisi. Bolnisi is about 70 kilometres south of the capital by road.

• Venue: Bolnisi town centre, Kvemo Kartli
• Tickets: Free

At a Glance: May 2026 Wine Festivals in Georgia

Beyond the Festivals: Making the Most of May in Georgia’s Wine Country

The festivals are concentrated in Tbilisi and Kartli, but May is also the best month to drive out to Kakheti — Georgia’s main wine-producing region, about 1.5 to 2 hours east of the capital — for winery visits between the city events.

The vines are in full leaf by mid-May. Tastings at small family maranis are unhurried compared to the autumn harvest season. The weather is warm enough to sit on a terrace with a glass of Saperavi, but not yet the heavy heat of July. If you’ve been curious about a guided day trip through Kakheti — qvevri workshop, boutique wineries, traditional lunch — this is the time to do it. Our 2-day Kakheti wine tour is available throughout the spring and summer months for those who want to go deeper than a day allows.

If you’re staying in Tbilisi and want a wine experience without leaving the city, there are good cellars in the old town as well — our Tbilisi wine tour covers the main spots on foot, including a 300-year-old family-run marani and the Mukhrani wine studio in the old city.

Practical Notes Before You Go

A few things worth knowing if you’re traveling specifically for the wine events:

• Book tickets in advance. The smaller salon events — Sherekilebi in particular — sell out weeks ahead. Don’t assume the modest price tag means low demand.
• May weather in Tbilisi is generally warm (18–25°C) and mostly dry, but afternoon thunderstorms happen, especially mid-month. A light rain layer is worth having for outdoor events.
• Lari (GEL) is the currency. At current rates, 30 GEL is roughly equivalent to 10–11 EUR. Festival venues often prefer cash — bring some.
• Rideshares are reliable in Tbilisi. Bolt and Yandex operate widely. For out-of-town venues like Chateau Mukhrani or Bolnisi, coordinate transport in advance through your accommodation or a local tour operator.
• Qvevri wines can be stronger than they taste. The amber wines made in traditional clay vessels often run 13–14% and have substantial tannins. Eat before you go. This is good advice in Georgia generally.
• Georgian hospitality at festivals means seconds. When a producer refills your glass without asking, it’s not a service error. It’s standard. Have a strategy.

Why May, Specifically

Spring is when Georgians themselves tend to go out and drink, before the summer heat sets in and before the harvest crush of September and October. The festival calendar reflects that rhythm. You’ll be drinking alongside locals who are just as engaged as any visiting wine professional — and usually more opinionated.

The countryside is at its greenest in May. The Kartli plains are a different landscape in spring compared to the dusty golds of summer — if you’re driving between Tbilisi and Chateau Mukhrani, or heading south to Bolnisi, the road through the Kvemo Kartli foothills is worth the detour on its own.

Know of another festival happening in May that isn’t on this list? Leave a comment below and it’ll be added — this is a living guide, updated as new events are confirmed.

Last updated: April 2026. Ticket prices and dates subject to change. Check individual event pages for the latest information.

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