A Georgian restaurant menu can feel like an exam: a long list of dishes, an even longer wine list and names that are hard to pronounce. The good news is that Georgian food and Georgian wine grew up together, so almost any pairing works. Still, a few simple rules make dinner noticeably better. Here is a practical guide to what to drink with each popular dish and how to order wine without overpaying.

The main principle

Georgian food means lots of herbs, walnuts, sour sauces and rich meat. Wine should either refresh the palate with acidity (white wines) or stand up to richness with tannins (red and amber wines). Sweet wines tame spice. When in doubt, choose dry red Saperavi with meat and dry white Rkatsiteli with everything else.

With khachapuri

Khachapuri is salty brined cheese and dough, so it needs fresh acidity to cut through the fat.

  • European-style Rkatsiteli or Tsinandali — classic with Imeruli and Megruli.
  • Tsolikouri from Imereti — a logical choice: dish and wine from the same region.
  • With buttery Adjaruli, try an amber Rkatsiteli; its light tannins handle the richness.

With khinkali

Many Georgians will tell you khinkali call for beer. If you want wine:

  • a light red — young Saperavi or Ojaleshi;
  • a fresh white Rkatsiteli with herby kalakuri khinkali;
  • Mtsvane or Kisi with mushroom or cheese khinkali.

With mtsvadi and grilled meat

Mtsvadi is Georgian barbecue of pork, veal or lamb, and red wine is the star here.

  • Dry Saperavi, especially from the Mukuzani micro-zone — deep, berry-rich and tannic.
  • Amber Kisi or qvevri Rkatsiteli — an exciting alternative with pork: they have tannins like reds but fruity, nutty flavours.
  • An aged Saperavi suits lamb.

With walnut sauces: satsivi, bazhe, pkhali

Walnut sauces are rich and spiced. They pair well with:

  • amber wines — Kisi, Rkatsiteli or Mtsvane made in qvevri;
  • Tsolikouri — fresh with light minerality.

Any fresh white works with pkhali, the spinach, beetroot and bean appetisers with walnuts.

With chakapuli and chashushuli

Chakapuli is a spring stew of young lamb with tarragon, tkemali and white wine. Drink the wine it was cooked with: dry white Rkatsiteli or Mtsvane.

Chashushuli is spicy stewed meat with tomatoes and peppers. Choose a medium-bodied red such as Saperavi, or a semi-sweet one if the dish is very hot.

With Megrelian food

Megrelian dishes — kharcho Megrelian style, elarji, ghomi with cheese, chicken in spicy sauce — are the hottest in Georgia. Spice makes wine taste more alcoholic, so:

  • Ojaleshi, the local Megrelian red, often semi-sweet, calms the heat;
  • semi-sweet wines — Khvanchkara, Kindzmarauli, Akhasheni — really shine here.

With fish and trout

In the mountains and by rivers trout is often cooked on a ketsi clay pan or over coals. Pair it with:

  • Tsinandali or European-style Rkatsiteli;
  • Chinuri from Kartli — light and crisp, sometimes sparkling.

With cheese and dessert

  • Young cheeses (sulguni, Imeretian) — fresh whites.
  • Aged Tushetian guda or Svan cheese — amber wine or Saperavi.
  • Churchkhela, pelamushi, gozinaki — semi-sweet Khvanchkara, Kindzmarauli or Tvishi, a semi-sweet white from Racha-Lechkhumi.

How to order wine in a restaurant

House wine. Almost every restaurant has house wine, white or red, served in glass or clay jugs of half a litre or a litre. It is the cheapest option, usually 15–40 lari a litre. Quality varies a lot, so ask for a taste first — that's perfectly normal in Georgia.

Wine by the glass. Wine bars and good restaurants offer a wide choice by the glass, so you can try three or four styles in one evening. A glass costs 8–25 lari.

By the bottle. Restaurant prices are usually two to three times shop prices. If you like a wine, note the name and buy it in a wine shop or at the winery.

Reading the label. Look for "qvevri", "amber", the grape (Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Kisi) and the micro-zone (Mukuzani, Tsinandali, Kindzmarauli). "Semi-sweet" and "dry" mean what they say.

How much to order

Georgians drink a lot at a feast, but in small amounts and with toasts. For dinner for two, half a litre to a litre of house wine or one bottle is usually enough. Drink water and eat herbs and cheese between toasts to avoid a heavy morning.

Common mistakes

  • Ordering only semi-sweet. Khvanchkara and Kindzmarauli are famous, but real Georgia is about dry and amber wines. Try at least one qvevri wine.
  • Drinking amber wine ice-cold. Serve amber wines slightly cool, around 14–16°C, or their flavour closes up.
  • Refusing house wine on principle. Some of the best house wines are found in small family restaurants — just ask to taste.

In short

White Rkatsiteli or Tsolikouri with khachapuri and pkhali, Saperavi with mtsvadi, amber Kisi with satsivi and pork, semi-sweet with spicy Megrelian food and sweets. Start with a jug of house wine, try a couple of glasses of qvevri wine, and buy the bottles you love at the winery — cheaper and better.