Culture
Heart and heritage
Wine as identity
Essence
Wine is inseparable from Georgian culture, shaping agriculture, hospitality, ritual, and daily life across centuries of political and social change.
Vineyards, mountain settlements, and agricultural life helped sustain the country through repeated periods of invasion and occupation. That relationship between land, wine, and identity remains deeply embedded in Georgian culture today.
the georgian table
Supra
The supra unfolds over hours, structured through food, wine, and a progression of toasts led by the tamada, or table host.
Conversation moves between family, memory, humor, politics, grief, and celebration, with wine setting the pace of the table itself.
For Gilauri, wine is made with the expectation that it will be opened slowly, shared generously, and returned to over time.
Continuity
through disruption
Resilience
Georgia experienced repeated periods of invasion, occupation, and Soviet control. Wine endured through each of them.
During the Soviet era, production shifted toward volume and uniformity, while many traditional practices survived through smaller growers, families, and home winemaking.
That continuity remains visible today in the preservation of indigenous grape varieties and the renewed focus on quality across Kakheti.
Symbol
Strength and welcome
Kartlis Deda, the Mother of Georgia, stands above Tbilisi holding a bowl of wine in one hand and a sword in the other. The meaning is direct. Wine is offered to guests. The sword for defense, when needed.
This pairing appears across the culture more broadly. Hospitality and the protection of land, language and daily life are held together as part of the same culture.
This duality is carried onto the Gilauri wine label. The Mother of Georgia is embodied in the Zelkova carpinifolia, a native tree found on the estate and known for its durability and longevity. Together, they define the message: welcome and strength, held in balance.
Georgia as
a reference
Vision
The long-term objective is to establish Georgia as a reference point for fine wine, both historically and in current practice.
The work is focused on showing what Georgian vineyards can produce at a high level through consistency over time.
People
Work carried forward
Gilauri brings together vineyard and cellar teams working across farming, fermentation, and élevage throughout the growing season.
The work focuses on precision in both vineyard and cellar while developing the next generation of Georgian winemakers through continued work in the vines, winery, and harvest.
Irakli Gilauri
Founder & Vigneron
Irakli Gilauri discovered his passion for wine through years of collecting marquee bottles from Burgundy, Barolo, Napa Valley, and Bordeaux. Frequent visits to the great estates of France shaped his understanding of what defines world-class terroir expression and prompted a question that would define his next venture: why did his native Georgia, with its 8,000-year winemaking heritage and exceptional terroir, lack a single internationally recognized ultra-luxury wine? Irakli’s path to answering that question began in the turbulent early 1990s, when the Soviet Union’s collapse cost Georgia nearly three-quarters of its GDP. Growing up amid unreliable electricity, inconsistent water, and impassable roads shaped his appreciation for strong institutions and instilled the long-term perspective that now guides his approach to winemaking.
Believing Georgia’s stability depended on a capable financial sector, he studied Business, Economics, and Finance at the University of Limerick before earning a Master of Science in Banking and International Finance from Cass Business School in London. His career in global finance began at the National Bank of Georgia, continued at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and culminated at the Bank of Georgia, where he served as both CFO and CEO. Under his leadership, the bank achieved a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange, entered the FTSE 250, and became known for its transparency and stability. To pursue his winemaking ambitions, Irakli studied viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis. He assembled a team that bridges Georgian tradition with international expertise, including famed Bordeaux-based consultants Eric More and Mikael Laizet from Rolland and Associates.
Today, Irakli leads Georgia Capital while dedicating substantial time to developing Gilauri Wines. A serial entrepreneur whose ventures span healthcare, insurance, real estate, renewable energy, and more, he views the winery as a generational undertaking with the freedom to prioritize long-term quality over immediate profit. His goal is to help Georgia’s greatest cultural legacy reclaim its place among the world’s finest wine regions.
Irakli is married with two children and splits his time between Tbilisi and his home in Kakheti, surrounded by the vineyards that will soon produce Georgia’s first ultra-luxury wines.
Eka Duchidze
General Manager
Eka Duchidze leads operations at Gilauri and has been central to the project since its founding in 2021.
Working closely with Irakli Gilauri, she oversees coordination across vineyard, cellar, and development, from site acquisition through to execution. Her role connects long-term planning with day-to-day decisions across the estate.
Eka has worked with Irakli for nearly two decades, including senior roles at Bank of Georgia and Georgia Capital. Earlier in her career, she spent seven years at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. This experience informs her approach at Gilauri, where structure, discipline, and consistency are central to the work.
Mikaël Laizet
Winemaking Collaborator
Mikaël Laizet is a partner at Rolland & Associés, with experience working across Bordeaux and other established wine regions.
Raised in a farming family with vineyard roots, he approaches winemaking from the ground up, with equal focus on viticulture and cellar decisions.
At Gilauri, he works closely with the team across each stage of production, from harvest timing to lot-by-lot evaluation and blending. His approach is adaptive. Technique is adjusted to site, variety, and vintage.
This collaboration supports a consistent objective: to translate the structure and balance of Kakheti into the finished wine.
Eric Moro
Viticulture Collaborator
Eric Moro is a Bordeaux-based viticulturist specializing in pruning systems and vineyard structure.
At Gilauri, he works with the team on vine balance, canopy management, and long-term vineyard health. His approach is technical and practical, focused on improving consistency and supporting site expression through better vine management.
His role is integrated into ongoing vineyard decisions, contributing to how each parcel is farmed and developed over time.
Guram Gabelaia
Vineyard Manager
Guram Gabelaia joined Gilauri in 2022 and oversees vineyard operations across all sites.
His work focuses on parcel-level management, including canopy control, yield balance, and harvest timing. Decisions are made based on vine performance and seasonal conditions, with the objective of preserving differences between parcels rather than smoothing them.
Guram developed a disciplined, detail-oriented approach through earlier roles in vineyard operations and management. At Gilauri, he works closely with both Georgian and international consultants to refine vineyard practices year by year.
Fernando Kirch
Winemaker
Fernando Kirch is responsible for day-to-day cellar operations at Gilauri. His work includes fermentation management, élevage, and quality control across all lots. He focuses on maintaining precision through each stage of production, from intake to blending.
Fernando trained in Argentina and has worked across multiple wine regions, contributing to his technical range. At Gilauri, his role is to translate vineyard inputs into structured, balanced wines through controlled cellar practices.
Alberto Laluashvili
Assistant Winemaker
Alberto Laluashvili joined Gilauri in 2025 and works across fermentation, grape maturity monitoring, and aging.
His role focuses on maintaining clarity and balance through the cellar, working with both indigenous and international varieties.
He developed his technical foundation through experience in Germany’s Rheingau, as well as roles at Crush 525 and Château Mukhrani, where he worked across laboratory analysis, fermentation, and vineyard coordination.
Alongside his work at Gilauri, Alberto is co-founder and winemaker of his family estate, Lalua, producing limited wines from older vineyards in Surami.
He holds a degree in Viticulture and Winemaking from the Agricultural University of Georgia.
Misho Natroshvili
Assistant Winemaker
Mikheil Natroshvili works across fermentation, analysis, and barrel aging at Gilauri.
He is involved in monitoring grape maturity, managing fermentations, and evaluating lots through élevage. His background includes technical training in Bordeaux and experience working with both indigenous and international varieties.
Alongside his work at Gilauri, he leads his family estate, contributing additional perspective on small-scale production and vineyard-driven wines.
Levan Mushkudiani
Vineyard Operations Manager
Vitaly Kirvalidze
Vineyard Operations
