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Georgia has five main regions of viniculture, and one of them is Imereti, a region in western-central Georgia, situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. In addition to wine, Imereti is also famous for its mulberries.
Imereti is known as a highly diverse region for wine making. Both climatic conditions and soil conditions vary significantly within the region, and this will of course have an impact on the wine.
Examples of wines from Imereti:
- Sviri Krakhuna
- Obchuri Tsolikouri
- Kvalituri Tsitska
In Imereti, the kvevri vessel is more commonly known as churi. After fermentation, Imereti wine is typically left in the churi for another two months, before the pulp is removed and the wine transferred into barrels.
Grape varieties
Examples of varieties grown in Imereti:
- Adanasuri
- Aladasturi
- Argvetuli Sapere
- Bazaleturi
- Bzvanura
- Dondghlabi
- Dzelshavi
- Krakhuna
- Kundza
- Kvishkhuri
- Otskhanuri
- Rko
- Sapere
- Thiska
- Tklapa
- Tsolikauri
- Vani Chkhaveri
About Imereti
Where is Imereti?
Imereti is located in western-central Georgia, along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River.
How large is Imereti?
6,475 km2 (2,500 sq mi)
Population
At the 2014 census, Imereti had 536,052 residents. This translates to a density of 83 people per square kilometers (210 people per square mile).
Most people in Imereti speak a Georgian dialect particular to Imereti.
Population centers
| Name | Info |
| Kutaisi | Regional capital of Imereti
Legislative capital of Georgia (the Georgian parliament has been located here since 2012) 3rd most populous city in Georgia Used to be the capital of the Kingdom of Georgia, and later the Kingdom of Imereti |
| Samtredia | Located 27 km west of Kutaisi
Developed around an important railway junction in the 1870s |
| Sackhere | Surrounded by thousands of small and mid-sized farms |
| Khoni | Famous for tea production |
| Chiatura | Center for manganese production |
| Tkibuli | Center for coal mining |
| Zestafoni | Industrial city focused on processing various metals |
| Vali | Was once the capital of the Kingdom of Colchis |