"Kobidze Cellar"

“The Kobidze’s Marani (Cellar)”

After graduating from the Technical University, Davit returned to the village in the difficult '90s. His parents were already elderly, he had a beloved girl and wanted to start a family, but there was no income; agriculture was not profitable, and he started thinking about starting his own business. Today, in the yard of the Kobidze family, stands a towering vine of "Chkhaveri," over 150 years old, planted by Davit's great-grandfather - Glakhuna Kobidze. Previously, when Davit's father went to prune, he would cut down the tree that the vine was twined around, causing the vine to stoop. Davit's father had a special bond with this vine: he would nurture it, talk to it, and caress it as if it were a bridge connecting him to his ancestors, and Davit too looked at the remaining "Chkhaveri" vine with this sentiment. By that time, "Chkhaveri" was almost extinct in Guria; nobody was cultivating it. This vine became the inspiration for Davit's new venture; he proposed to his father to multiply the vine, but was refused: "You'll go back to Tbilisi, and then it'll be just my headache." Davit sought help and advice from everyone, but was consistently turned down. Finally, one uncle, a vine and wine enthusiast, offered his help, and in 1996, they began to care for the multiplication, and in 1997, Davit planted his first vineyard. He tirelessly tended to the vine for 5 years and harvested his first yield in 2001. When his father and brother saw, that Davit was not going to give up on his "experiment," they supported him, and eventually, the entire "Kobidze family" involved, making Davit's family one of the first to start planting "Chkhaveri" with 40 vines at that time. The vineyard's yield was exceptionally good, initially intended for wine. However, nobody wanted wine or grapes, and nobody believed in his business idea, until the "nut boom" began in Guria. Davit's nut trees were cut down, and in their place, he planted a vineyard. Nobody dared to speak to his face, but everyone criticized him behind his back - he had "gone mad," what did he need "Chkhaveri" for? But Davit didn't collapse! He took his first wine yield to the capital for sale, where such wine had been forgotten since the Soviet era, produced in small quantities for the "elite." Only one person offered to buy the wine, and so he sold the first 200 liters. Davit devoted himself to building new vineyards, as if he couldn't see a future. In 2009, a winemaker, Zurab Topuridze, liked Davit's vineyard and offered to buy the grapes. This marked the beginning of the search and restoration of indigenous varieties. A good man and agricultural specialist, Korneli Kukulava, offered Davit to "revive" local vine varieties. Thus, began Davit's career as an ampelologist. From 2013, together with his brother Tato Kobidze, they founded "Kobidze's Marani" and started building a collection of unique Gurian vine varieties. Today, his vineyards and collection contain nearly 20 ancient Gurian varieties, producing raw materials available for any enthusiast. "Kobidze's Marani" wines, leading with "Chkhaveri," "Aladasturi," "Saperavi," "Ojaleshi," are members of the "Natural Wine Association." His wines are exported to America, Australia, France, Germany, Portugal, Taiwan, and Lithuania. "Kobidze's Marani" wines can be purchased on-site and in Tbilisi at "G-vino Underground," "Vin Boutique," "G Vino," "Suliko," and tasted at the restaurant "Daphna." A special and limited product is "Ancestors' Wine," made from the harvest of the 150-year-old "Chkhaveri" vine.