Georgia’s Women-Led Wine Renaissance

11/03/2026

Trained as a lawyer, Ia Imerlishvili’s life took an unexpected turn in 2018, when she discovered 19th- century-old qvevris (clay wine vessels) buried beneath layers of soil in a newly purchased house in the Gurjaani municipality, in Georgia’s Kakheti region. The forgotten cellar became the spark for a new beginning.

“When we uncovered the qvevri, I wanted to know whether they could still be used for fermentation, and still hold life,” she recalls. “It felt like reconnecting with a history that had been interrupted for decades.”

That discovery gave birth to Ia’s Winery, a small family enterprise producing wine, grape juice, chacha (brandy), badagi (condensed grape juice) and traditional Georgian sweets, while also offering agritourism experiences such as harvest participation, wine tasting and culinary masterclasses. Today, visitors can even stay overnight in the restored home, transformed into a living space of culture, tradition and hospitality.

Launching her first products in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ia relied on online sales before connecting directly with consumers through agromarkets across Georgia, organized by FAO under the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD), funded by the European Union (EU) and Sweden. “These markets allowed me to meet people face to face, to explain my story and my values,” she says. “They helped me grow, adapt and believe in what I was building.”

For Ia, being a woman in agriculture carries deep meaning. “Women farmers work tirelessly, with care and dedication, yet often without recognition,” she notes. “Their labour is thoughtful, not mechanical — rooted in responsibility toward family, land and community.”

Through FAO-supported training opportunities funded under ENPARD and continuous learning, Ia continues to innovate, exporting her wines to Germany and Poland, while exploring markets in the United States. At the heart of her work lies a commitment to sustainability. “Healthy soil, healthy grapes and safe, healthy food are inseparable. Protecting the land is not someone else’s task — it is mine,” she says.

Looking ahead, Ia envisions women stepping confidently into leadership across agrifood systems. “In the next ten years, women will no longer stand in the shadows,” she says. “They will create innovative, safe Georgian products for the modern world — and I want to be one of them.”

About ENPARD

The EU supports rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Aiming to reduce rural poverty, ENPARD has been implemented since 2013. The Programme started by supporting the development of the national agriculture potential. Subsequently, it also concentrated on creating economic opportunities for rural populations in Georgia. Since 2021, the Programme has also been working on improving food safety in the country, with additional support from Sweden and with FAO and the Czech Development Agency as the main implementers of this food safety component under ENPARD IV. 

This article has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.