Meet Gogi Dakishvili Head Wine Maker at Schuchmann/Vinoterra

George (Gogi) Dakishvili has been working in the field of viticulture and winemaking for about twenty years. Today he is a chief winemaker at Schuchmann Wines Georgia. Gogi's father, Temur Dakishvili was a Christian Kist [a Chechen subethnos in Georgia - HN] by origin from the village Jokolo. He also was a winemaker and even though he could not see his son in winemaking field, he had a great role in developing his visions from a very young age. Grandfather, Simon Dakishvili, Jokolo church priest, was shot during the red repressions. Grandfather from mother’s side a winegrower and winemaker, Archil Chuadze lived in Akhmeta. In the 30-es of 20th century he had a vineyard and made wine in the oldest cellar where he had clay kvevris of 18th century. Gogi still vividly remembers all the vintages in his childhood as great celebrations. First touch point with grapes and wine was in the age of 5-6, when his grandfather allowed him to squeeze the grapes in satsnakheli. Then he took part in the vintage and new wine replacement process, as the normal, full-fledged member. The aroma and flavors of these days deeply and thoroughly settled in his memory.

Gogi is the graduate of faculty of enology at Lomonosov food industry Institute of Odessa, Ukraine. After graduation, Gogi studied chemistry and biology with particular enthusiasm to become a winemaker. He also purposely began working as a worker in Teliani state factory in 1995 and by the end of the year, he became a winemaker technologist. During this period, his friends founded the company Teliani Valley, where he was invited and worked from 1997-2009 years. In 2000, in the University of California, Davis, in the United States, he passed a thorough training, where he was introduced to the latest trends in modern winemaking. 

Gogi Dakishvili has worked at Teliani, Teliani Valley, Tsinandali, Mildiani, Vinoterra in different years.  He has been working as a chief wine-maker in Schuchmann Wines Georgia since its establishment in 2008 where he carefully put his great experience into practice. 
Gogi believes that quality wine making starts in the vineyard. He knows that quality grapes that are sustainably farmed are the only way you can ensure quality wines from a low intervention style of wine making that he practices. Therefore he is often in his vineyards where he never uses herbicides and tries to avoid systemic remedies. Gogi is not a celebrity style wine maker; rather than promotion he spends his time monitoring the development of the vine, directly supervising the activities of the workers, and choosing the precise moments of harvest all of which takes tremendous effort given his size of production.
Gogi lives in Telavi with his family and whenever free works in the vineyard with his son, Temur. His younger son David is involved in the activities of Father and elder brother and does every task with joy- help in cellar and in vineyard and washes little qvevris.