Madlieri Winery

Lado Naveriani founded the winery “Madlieri” in 2020. Lado dedicated the brand name to the memory of his late father, David Naveriani: “For us, winemaking is a sacred business, because Georgia is the homeland of wine, with its 8,000-year history; at the same time, wine has a deep religious meaning for Georgians — after all, our ancestors converted to Christianity with the cross of St. Nino’s vine… I have been helping my father in the winemaking process since childhood, and today, I am incredibly grateful to him for teaching me this truly sacred business,” Lado notes. The Naveriani family was originally from Upper Svaneti, and settled in Bolnisi in the 1960s. The Lado family purchased an old German house in the 1980s: the 19th-century Swabian colonists from Ekaterinenfeld (now Bolnisi) were evicted en masse from Georgia during the Soviet era, and Bolnisi still retains their unique cultural heritage: houses built of stone and wood with cellars, where the Swabians fermented wine in their own way — in oak barrels. The Naveriani family house is particularly attractive to tourists: the terraces of the building offer beautiful views of old Bolnisi; the 185-year-old cellar, where tasting tours are often hosted, has also been preserved intact. In 2017, Lado decided to continue the family tradition of winemaking and, in honor of his father’s memory, move it to a new, commercial stage of development. The Swabian method of winemaking was revived from childhood memories and the nostalgic vessels left by ancestors were also renewed. At the same time, he began studying at professional winemaking courses. Since 2020, Marani Lado has been equipped with modern equipment and in 2021, he took the first ambitious step in winemaking, pouring a bouquet of European varieties selected according to his own taste - a coupage of Chardonnay Sauvignon, Aromatico, Muscat Ottonel, Godelo and Fernao Pires; the following year, he enriched the “Madlieri” selection with mixed - European-Swabian-made Rkatsiteli, Saperavi and Saperavi-Rkatsiteli coupage (Rkatsiteli fermented on Saperavi chacha). The 2022 Rkatsiteli won a bronze medal at the Wine and Spirits Exhibition and Competition “Vinexpo 2023”, and the 2022 Saperavi won the bronze award at the “Batumi Expo”. Today, the winery “Madlieri” offers its customers Rkatsiteli, Saperavi and Saperavi-Rkatsiteli coupage (Rkatsiteli fermented on Saperavi chacha); the Lado experiment — a bouquet of European varieties — has attracted great interest and approval from sommeliers.