The Gurjaani Hills & the Lawyer's Return

The story of Kolagis Marani begins in 1887, when Nika Jeiranashvili — the great-great-grandfather of the current winemaker — established a family marani in the village of Kolagi, in the Gurjaani micro-zone of Kakheti, Georgia. This was not the founding of a commercial enterprise; it was the creation of a family sanctuary, a place where wine would be made not for sale but for sustenance, for celebration, for the supra feasts that define Georgian culture. The qvevris that Nika buried in the earth that year were not merely production vessels; they were time capsules, clay amphorae that would hold the family's wine for generations to come. Those same qvevris — now over 130 years old — are still in use today, a continuity of practice that very few wineries in the world can claim.

For four generations, the Jeiranashvili family made wine in the same cellar, using the same methods, passing down knowledge from father to son in the oral tradition that has preserved Georgian viticulture for 8,000 years. They were organic growers not by certification but by necessity and wisdom — without synthetic fertilisers, without pesticides, without irrigation, without any of the interventions that would later define industrial agriculture. Their wines were made naturally, without additives, without filtration, without added sulfites — not as a marketing stance, but simply because that was how wine had always been made in Georgia, and they saw no reason to change what worked. The marani was a place of family labour, seasonal rhythm, and quiet devotion — a place where the past was not preserved behind glass but fermented, aged, and poured into glasses at every family gathering.

The current custodian of this legacy is Nika Jeiranashvili, the fifth-generation winemaker who shares his great-great-grandfather's name. His path to the cellar was not direct. Before returning to Kolagi, Nika built a successful career as an international lawyer specialising in human rights — a profession that took him around the world, into courtrooms and conference halls, advocating for justice on the global stage. Yet the call of the vineyard, the memory of the marani, and the weight of the family name eventually proved irresistible. In 2018, Nika made the extraordinary decision to leave his legal career behind and return to Kolagi to revive the family marani — not as a hobby, not as a retirement project, but as a full-time commitment to continuing the tradition that his ancestor began in 1887. It was a leap of faith that transformed a historic family cellar into a living, breathing winery for the modern era.

Since his return, Nika has devoted himself to preserving and honouring the methods that his family has used for five generations, while bringing a new level of intentionality and visibility to the estate. He has maintained the organic practices that have defined the vineyards for over a century, continued the use of the century-old qvevris, and upheld the zero-intervention philosophy that is the estate's birthright. At the same time, he has embraced the modern natural wine movement — joining the Natural Wine Association, certifying his wines, and sharing the Kolagis story with a global audience that is hungry for authenticity and heritage. The result is a winery that feels both ancient and urgently contemporary — a place where 1887 and 2026 exist simultaneously in every bottle.

Kolagis is not merely a winery; it is a family home, a living museum, and a working farm. Nika's wife, Nina, is a highly skilled professional chef who prepares lunches and dinners for visitors using locally sourced ingredients, often from the winery's own organic farms — a true farm-to-table experience that complements the wines perfectly. The estate welcomes guests by arrangement, offering not just tastings but immersion: the chance to walk vineyards that have been organic for 137 years, to touch qvevris that have been buried since 1887, to eat food grown on the same land that produces the wine, and to understand what it means to be part of a tradition that spans five generations. This is hospitality as heritage — the Georgian supra in its most authentic form.

At Kolagis Marani, the winemaking philosophy is one of absolute purity, zero intervention, and profound respect for the living history embedded in every century-old qvevri. All wines are fermented and aged in the same traditional clay amphorae that were buried in the earth by Nika Jeiranashvili (the first) in 1887 — vessels that have been in continuous use for over 130 years, absorbing the microbial fingerprint of five generations of Jeiranashvili winemaking. The winemaking process includes spontaneous fermentation on native yeasts, typically with skin contact, maceration, and ageing in these historic qvevris. Every wine is made with minimal intervention — free of additives, chemicals, or added sulfites — and is unfiltered and unfined, delivering the purest essence of the grape. This is not merely natural wine; it is ancestral wine, made in the same vessels, by the same family, with the same methods, for five uninterrupted generations.

The vinification process is meticulous, labour-intensive, and deeply traditional. Each wine variety at Kolagis is crafted exclusively from organic grapes sourced from a single vineyard — a practice that guarantees exceptional quality and a true expression of terroir, but that also limits production and increases cost. The grapes are hand-harvested at optimal ripeness, then crushed and transferred to the century-old qvevris for fermentation. For white wines, the Kakhetian method is employed: the juice ferments together with skins, seeds, and stems for an extended period — typically months — creating the amber (orange) wines that have become Georgia's most distinctive contribution to the global wine scene. For red wines, the pomace is separated after several days of crushing, then the wine continues to age in qvevri, developing structure, complexity, and the stability that only time and clay can provide.

During fermentation, Nika monitors the process with the same attention to detail that he once applied to legal briefs. The qvevris, buried deep in the earth, maintain stable temperature throughout the year, providing ideal storage conditions and natural thermal inertia that protects the wine from the extremes of the Georgian climate. The native yeasts that ferment the must are not added; they are present on the grape skins, in the cellar air, and in the very clay of the qvevris themselves — a microbial ecosystem that has evolved over 130 years and that gives Kolagis wines a unique aromatic fingerprint impossible to replicate. There is no temperature control technology, no stainless steel, no oak barrels — just the natural cool of the earth, the ancient clay, and the patient hand of the vigneron.

"Rkatsiteli" — The Amber Classic: The Rkatsiteli is Kolagis's flagship and most widely produced wine — a traditional qvevri skin-contact amber (orange) wine made from Georgia's most planted white grape. Fermented and aged in the century-old qvevris with extended maceration on skins, seeds, and stems, it is a wine of extraordinary textural depth, phenolic complexity, and aromatic evolution. In the glass, it is deep amber with a slight natural haze — the colour of Georgian sunsets filtered through ancient clay. The nose offers dried apricot, golden apple, sweet tea, honey, and a distinct earthy, nutty undertone that speaks of the 130-year-old qvevri and the organic soils of Kolagi. The palate is full-bodied, with pronounced tannins, high acidity, and a long, savoury, mineral finish. It is a serious wine for serious drinkers — the liquid history of a family and a nation, bottled. Serve at 14–16°C. Age 5–10 years. ~€18–€26 / ~$20–$28 USD.

"Saperavi" — The Dense Red: The Saperavi is Kolagis's great red — a qvevri-aged wine made from the teinturier grape with red flesh and red juice, the most important indigenous red variety of Kakheti. Fermented with native yeasts and aged in the century-old qvevris, it develops a wine of remarkable depth, natural tannins, and bright acidity that balances its dark power. In the glass, it is deep purple-black with violet reflections. The nose offers blackberry, black cherry, plum, black pepper, and a smoky, earthy undertone from the Gurjaani soils. The palate is full-bodied, with firm but ripe tannins, high acidity, and a long, complex, savoury finish. It is a wine of both power and elegance — the kind of wine that makes you understand why Saperavi has been cultivated in Kakheti for millennia, and why the Jeiranashvili family chose to make it their signature red. Serve at 16–18°C. Decant if possible. Age 5–12 years. ~€20–€30 / ~$22–$33 USD.

"Chinuri" — The Bright Rarity: The Chinuri is one of Kolagis's most limited and exciting wines — made from the Chinuri grape, a high-acidity white variety native to Kartli that Nika has recently introduced to expand the estate's range. Produced in very small quantities, it offers a different expression of the qvevri method: lighter, fresher, and more citrus-driven than the deep amber Rkatsiteli. In the glass, it is pale amber with bright clarity. The nose offers lemon, green apple, white flowers, and a subtle herbal note. The palate is light to medium-bodied, with vibrant, mouthwatering acidity, gentle tannins from brief skin contact, and a long, clean, refreshing finish. It is a wine of rarity and revelation — proof that Kolagis is not bound by tradition but inspired by it, exploring new possibilities while honouring ancient methods. Serve at 10–12°C. Drink young. ~€20–€28 / ~$22–$30 USD.

"Usakhelouri" — The Forgotten Treasure: The Usakhelouri is Kolagis's most unique and scarce wine — made from the Usakhelouri grape, a very rare, almost forgotten indigenous variety that exists in only a few isolated pockets of Georgia. Nika's decision to cultivate and vinify this variety is part of his broader commitment to preserving Georgia's extraordinary viticultural biodiversity — a genetic heritage that Soviet monoculture very nearly erased. Fermented in the century-old qvevris with the same zero-intervention philosophy, it produces a wine of unexpected character and profound individuality. In the glass, it is medium ruby with a slight haze. The nose offers red berry, wild strawberry, dried herbs, and a distinct floral note that evokes the wildflowers of the Kolagi hills. The palate is medium-bodied, with soft tannins, bright acidity, and a long, complex, ethereal finish. It is a wine for the patient and the passionate — a taste of history rescued from oblivion by the vision of a lawyer turned vigneron. Serve at 14–16°C. Drink young to medium term. ~€22–€32 / ~$24–$35 USD.

Pét-Nat — The Sparkling Experiment: Kolagis produces pét-nats (pétillant naturel) from Rkatsiteli and Saperavi — sparkling wines made by the ancestral method, where the wine is bottled during primary fermentation to capture its natural effervescence. These are not method champenoise wines; they are method ancestrale — the oldest form of sparkling wine production, with no added sugar, no added yeast, and no disgorgement. The result is wines of extraordinary freshness, vitality, and slight "funk" — alive, unfiltered, and utterly charming. The Rkatsiteli pét-nat offers citrus and floral notes with a gentle, natural fizz; the Saperavi pét-nat is a revelation — a sparkling red that is both serious and joyful, dense and effervescent, ancient and utterly contemporary. Serve at 6–8°C. Drink young. ~€18–€26 / ~$20–$28 USD.

Vessels & The Cellar: The Kolagis cellar in Kolagi is a place of living archaeology — a family marani established in 1887, where the same qvevris have been buried in the earth for over 130 years. These are not museum pieces; they are working vessels, lined with beeswax, sealed with clay, and filled with wine every vintage. The cellar is cool, dark, and quiet — the perfect environment for the slow, patient transformation of grape into wine. There is no stainless steel, no oak barrels, no temperature-controlled technology — just the natural cool of the earth, the ancient clay, and the passage of time. The qvevris have absorbed the flavours, the yeasts, and the spirit of five generations of Jeiranashvili winemaking, and they impart this heritage to every wine they hold. As Nika tends his 5,000 bottles each year, punching down caps, monitoring fermentation, and waiting for the moment when each wine is ready to be bottled, he is not merely making wine; he is continuing a conversation that began with his great-great-grandfather in 1887, in the same village, in the same cellar, with the same earth beneath his feet — a conversation about family, place, and the enduring magic of wines that honour the name they carry and the tradition they preserve.