Our story begins in Western Georgia, where generations of winemakers have nurtured vines, reflecting the unique terroirs. Among them was Alex Gabunia’s grandfather, Nodari, who continued the family’s winemaking traditions even during the Soviet era, producing wine for the family in hand-buried qvevri.

As a child, Alex spent long summers at his grandparents’ house in Obcha, where the small family vineyard and marani were at the heart of daily life. He and his brother and cousins were sometimes allowed into the marani, watching their grandfather work. The dim light, the scent of fermenting grapes, and the quiet magic of wine aging in buried qvevri left a lasting impression—one that would eventually lead him back to Georgia after extended periods of study and work in Spain (including time spent in viticulture in the renowned Costers del Segre wine region), Argentina, and Germany.

Alex learned from Babua Nodari not just how to make wine, but the unwritten rules of when to harvest, when to transfer wine between qvevri, and how to respect the natural rhythm of the process. By the time Vazis Xidi started making wine in Geguti in 2016, Nodari had sadly passed away. But his wife Bebia Lili took the time to generously share the knowledge, traditions, and practices that she and her husband had cultivated together over decades.

These insights—combined with innovative processes and inspiration from all over Western Georgia and beyond—shape the way Vazis Xidi wine is made today.