Festival Venues
HISTORY OF TSINANDALI ESTATE
Tsinandali Festival is intended to be staged in the unique environment of Tsinandali.
The contribution of Chavchavadze family to Georgian culture is truly invaluable. A quick glance at the XIX c. Georgia makes it clear that the visions and strategies, which largely determined the development of the country had originated in Tsinandali. The mansion of the Chavchavadze family used to host discussions of new literary, artistic and musical trends. Even some of the political and economic issues were considered there.
It was here in Tsinandali, some 230 years ago, that the first Georgian European style wine was made and traditional Qvevri was first bottled, which substantiated
Georgia’s transition from winemaking to a wine exporter country.
AMPHITHEATRE
In 2017 the Silk Road Group completed another phase in the long-term development plan of Tsinandali Estate by constructing a new modern-architecture and acoustics open amphitheatre with a retractable roof.
This project was designed by the prominent French architect Xavier Fabre, the founder of Fabre Speller Architects who previously engineered such settings as the new Philharmonic of Paris and the Mariinskii Theatre stage in St. Petersburg. The venue offers a seated capacity of up to 1200 persons and is modular to different events such as concerts, weddings, gala dinners, theatre, opera, the list is endless.
On Sep 14th, 2017, following an invitation by Tsinandali Festival, the amphitheatre was officially inaugurated by legendary Maestro Zubin Mehta, Khatia Buniatishvili and Israel Philarmonic Orchestra. The amphitheatre will be one of the main festival venues from 2019.
CHAMBER MUSIC HALL
In 2018 Silk Road Group completed the construction of another festival venue in meticulously restored historic buildings of Tsinandali Estate. The new venue – Chamber Concert Hall – offers a seated capacity of up to 600 persons and is modular to different events such as concerts, weddings, gala dinners, etc. On October 27th, 2018 the Chamber Concert Hall was officially inaugurated by the fabulous performance of a trio of young Georgian musicians, Sandro Nebieridze, Lisa Ramishvili, and Ani Tchania. The Chamber Concert Hall will be one of the main festival venues from 2019.
MUSEUM
Prince Alexander Chavchavadze’s palace – the unique mix of Georgian and European architectural styles with its first historical appearance back to 1812.
The palace, as well as the whole estate, has undergone several transformations since then: it was burnt, then rebuilt and modified several times while today’s aesthetic comes from 1886th. Along with the whole territory of Tsinandali Estate the palace has been under the possession of the Chavchavadzes’ family since 1680. In the Soviet era, the palace was transformed into Soviet wine workers guest-house and only in 1946 it was opened as a museum dedicated to Prince Alexander Chavchavadze. During the Soviet period as well as afterward the museum and the whole Estate had difficult times, it was severely damaged and altered and needed serious rehabilitation.
Since 2007, under the patronage and care of the Silk Road Group and with the guidance of the Smithsonian Institute, the museum has been completely reconstructed and rehabilitated. Over 100 exhibits have been restored and more than 500 have been acquired.The museum has hosted performances of classical music by Joshua Bell, European Chamber Quartet Ensemble Diderot, Georgian Sinfonietta, and others as well as numerous exhibitions and literary events. The museum will be one of the festival venues from 2019.
RADISSON COLLECTION HOTEL
Radisson Collection Hotel, Tsinandali Estate is situated in the heart of the historic wine-producing Kakheti region. The facilities are the unique blend of modern and traditional Georgian Architecture where one can truly feel the history steeped in tradition and winemaking.
The interior and design concept has been developed by appointed German light and interior designer Ingo Maurer, Spanish/Mexican architects Christina Gabas and Damien Figueras as well as a Georgian conceptual artist and sculptor Tamara Kvesitadze.
Local Georgian restoration specialists and the National Agency for cultural heritage preservation were involved in and consulted at all stages of planning, preparation and execution of the Tsinandali development program.
THE PARK HOTEL
From July 2019, the Silk Road Group and private investors will provide a new Park Hotel dedicated to the Tsinandali Festival participants during the festival period and hosting any other guests during the rest of the year.
A 3-story building (plus basement) with 70 twin rooms (including 2 handicapped), roof open terraces on the second and third floors and the open-air car park area will be located immediately adjacent to the Tsinandali Estate and will provide accommodation for: the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra (VFCO), the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra (PCYO) and Tsinandali Festival Academy (TFA) musicians; also for PCYO coaches and TFA professors.
The basement of the Hotel will have the specifically designed and equipped infrastructure necessary for the festival: practice and rehearsal rooms intended both for individual instrumentalists and musical groups/ensembles; also the library and the canteen.
From August 16 to September 23, 2019 the Festival Hotel will be the venue where PCYO and TFA young musicians will be trained and taught by specially invited world leading orchestra coaches and professors, respectively.
GARDEN
The landscaped garden in Tsinandali Estate is also the first European-type recreation zone in Georgia. It was laid out by landscape architects invited from Europe by Alexander Chavchavadze. The garden is unique for its exotic plants and layout.
Since 2007, under the patronage and care of the Silk Road Group, authentic appearance of the garden has been restored and preserved, based on the recommendations by a famous German landscape designer professor Ludwig Trauzettel.
The garden has hosted performances of classical music by Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica, Igudesman and Joo, Lisa Batiashvili, Khatia Buniatishvili, Sara Alice Ott, Roby Lacatos, performers of the Munich Chamber Ensemble, Philippe Quint and many others.
The garden will be one of the festival venues from 2019.
TSINANDALI WINERY
The history of the Tsinandali Estate, as one of the most important centers of cultural life in Georgia, extends more than two hundred years into the past. In the time of Alexander Chavchavadze, it was a must destination for musicians, writers, poets and other prominent foreigners visiting Georgia, as well as for local public figures. Its cultural traditions are still upheld in our own day. Since 2007 the Tsinandali Estate has been under the patronage and care of the Silk Road Group. Over the last decades, the Company has invested tens of millions of GEL in the rehabilitation and development of the historic site and its adjacent areas. Thanks to the efforts of the Silk Road Group, the restored Alexander Chavchavadze Museum and its historic park continue to tell their story to contemporary and future generations of visitors.
The historic vineyards of the Tsinandali Estate have seen major renovations in recent years, to ensure the preservation of Tsinandali’s legacy as the cradle of Georgia’s classical winemaking. The Tsinandali Estate is the cradle of classical winemaking in Georgia, as it was here that Georgian wine was first bottled. Saperavi of 1841 and other 19th-century historic vintages are still preserved at the Princely Oenotheque. Under Prince Alexander Chavchavadze, the Tsinandali Estate on the one hand continued the 8000-year-old tradition of Georgian winemaking, while at the same time creating the standards of the modern technological approach. Today this noble tradition continues, with ancient qvevri and classical European winemaking coexisting. The unique vineyard is bordered by canyons and forests, creating a detached territory with superb terroir, which is planted with 11 Georgian vine species, namely: Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane, Kisi, Khikhvi, Usakhelouri, Alexandrouli, Mujuretuli, Tsolikouri, Tetra and Ojaleshi. Among the Tsinandali Estate’s distinguished wines, one can find classic, full-bodied Saperavi intended for extensive aging, bold, Frisky Rose, the first European style white of Georgia, the Estate’s namesake – Tsinandali and traditional Kakhetian qvevri Rkatsiteli. Everything the Tsinandali Estate utilizes to create its famous produce, be it Georgian Qvevri, French barriques, or Italian machinery, is tailor-made for the Estate. The exquisite chacha distilling plant ensures a balance between the aroma and purity of genuine chacha.
Alexander Chavchavadze was born in 1786. His legacy as the creator of modern Georgian winemaking lives on and the Tsinandali Estate still offers the best of Georgian wines.