Tbilisi to Host New Wine Festival on weekend with charity for Ukraine

Georgia’s capital Tbilisi will host locals and visitors for a tasting of some of the best wines by dozens of producers as part of this year's New Wine Festival in the city's Mtatsminda Park on Saturday, with organisers aiming to raise funds for a charity to help Ukraine, the City Hall announced on Friday.

The event will host 61 wine companies and 89 family wineries, in addition to wine accessory makers, with the festival opening in the morning in the hilltop park overlooking the city. 

It will start with a customary opening ceremony involving a qvevri, the traditional clay vessel buried in the ground for wine storage by winemakers across the country. 

The celebratory opening will be followed by awards for family cellars participating in the festival, before guests are invited to enjoy musical performances by the Nali Band and Geo Folk ensemble, organisers said in their preview.

This year’s event will also involve a charity event Georgian Winemaking in Support of Ukraine, with special stickers created for the purpose and added to products by participating companies. The stickers will mark wines by producers that have transferred funds to a charity account opened in support of the country amid the Russian invasion.

If you buy a bottle of wine with the sticker, you will automatically take part in the charity campaign in support of the Ukrainian people affected by war,” organisers explained.

Those interested in taking part in the initiative by contributing funds to the cause can transfer them to the account created for the purpose:

Account No.: GE89TB7844536080100014

Bank code: TBCBGE22

Recipient: Georgian Winemaking in Support of the Ukrainian People A (I) IP Wine Club

This year's festival will conclude at 6pm local time in the park.