SHUMI Winery & Estate, located in Georgia’s renowned Kakheti region, is proud to announce that two of its wines have been included in the prestigious second edition of the World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection 2025 (WBSS).
The wines Khikhvi Qvevri Iberiuli 2022 (orange) and Salome 2017 (red) were selected as part of this esteemed international wine collection, which celebrates some of the finest wines from around the globe. Notably, SHUMI Winery & Estate is the only winery from Georgia to be featured in this exclusive selection for the second time.
WBSS is a three-day event that took place in January 2025 in the UK. Attendees included top sommeliers and beverage directors from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, led by WBSS President Jhonel Faelnar, Beverage Director of NA: EUN Hospitality (Atomix) in New York, which ranked No. 6 on the 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list. Over the course of three days, wines were tasted, allowing the sommeliers to fully appreciate the unique qualities of each submission.
The panel included sommeliers from acclaimed restaurants such as The World’s Best Restaurant 2024, Disfrutar, Barcelona (No. 1); Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris (No. 3); Kol, London (No. 17) and Piazza Duomo, Alba (No. 39) have lent their expertise, while renowned sommelier, Jhonel Faelnar whose New York restaurant, Atomix, was named The Best Restaurant in North America as part of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, presided over the selection process. See the full list of participating sommeliers here.
KHIKHVI QVEVRI IBERIULI 2022,
Terroir “Sabane”.
VARIETALS: Khikhvi 100%
TASTING NOTES:
“Brilliant, amber colour. Very aromatic and expressive nose with notes of oxidation along with exotic fruit, cooked pineapple, orange peel, zest, vanilla and caramel. Bone dry, tense and with characteristic astringency, the wine needs a lot of air to show its full opulence. Excellent tannins, very saline with prominent caramel sweetness, baked peaches and cardamom spice. Nice broad palate and good texture.”
FOOD PAIRINGS:
“This startling, spicy qvevri wine will accompany strong flavours well. Try with duck a l’orange or satay chicken, kaffir lime broth with red chilli.”
A full description of the wine and its food pairing recommendations can be found at the link:
https://www.worldsbestsommeliersselection.com/2025/Khikhvi-Qvevri-Iberiuli-2022.html
SALOME 2017,
Terroir “Salome”
VARIETALS: Saperavi 100%
TASTING NOTES:
“Fruity and hearty the nose. Complex; crisp red fruit, black olives, blackberry, plum jam, dried figs and raisins. A touch of toast. Evolution is interesting in mouth; there’s a vibrancy to the wine, fresh fruits, nutty notes and good minerality, opulent new oak slightly swamps the fruit, but there’s lots of acidity, supple, chalky tannins and a juicy finale with a lively saltiness.”
FOOD PAIRINGS:
“With its vibrant acidity and chalky tannins, this wine is well suited to lamb and beef. Best served with Moroccan style lamb shanks, stewed oxtail, or ribeye steak.”
A full description of the wine and its food pairing recommendations can be found at the link:
https://www.worldsbestsommeliersselection.com/2025/Salome-2017.html
About SHUMI Winery & Estate
SHUMI Winery and Estate is one of the first family wineries established in Georgia. Located in Kakheti, the heartland of Georgian winemaking, and rooted in the deep local wine traditions, we produce wines that embrace 8,000 years of winemaking history and the future of our great terroirs.
The name “SHUMI” comes from ancient Georgian and means “the best wine”. Today, it is SHUMi’s commitment to producing the best expression of Georgian wines.
The Griffin (Phaskunji in Georgian mythology) is the symbol of SHUMI. According to legend, the Griffin brought the first bunch of grapes to mankind, leading to the cultivation of the first vineyards on Earth.
SHUMI is a family-owned winery established in 1997, making it one of the first wineries in Georgia. It is located on a historic site adjacent to the A. Chavchavadze National Park and Museum in Kakheti. With 200 hectars of vineyards, in parts organic and biodynamic, in selected PDOs, SHUMI was the first in Georgia to use these cultivation methods.
The winery focuses on pairing the right terroirs with the right indigenous grape varieties. The vineyards are located in the most important PDOs and microzones of Georgia, including Mukuzani, Napareuli, Kindzmarauli and Tsinandali.
