Andro Barnovi is the founder and winemaker at Wine Artisans, an outstanding boutique winery and natural wine hub located near Gori, Georgia.

The Association’s history starts in 2013. Over the years, it has helped advance small natural wineries and wine tourism in Georgia, while introducing regional wine fests, encouraging the construction of new, and restoration of ancient wine cellars, publishing special literature, and conducting workshops for local winemakers.

Wines come from vineyards, located in different ecosystems, and tiny terroirs, sometimes the size of a vineyard. Wines are made of sunlight and winds, soils and waters, and local yeasts. Hence, a terroir speaks in a truly natural wine. At “Wine Artisans”, we never use heavy chemistry in the vineyard, save for a bit of sulfur and copper - maybe just a couple times a year. Our vineyards are full of different useful insects, like ladybugs and praying mantises, and hundreds of different spiders - powerful predators hunting tiny bugs dangerous for the early twigs of the grape vines. There is no need for chemistry when these friends are around. We don't plaw the rows of the vineyard. Instead, grass mowing became an almost daily practice there. Rested land develops fungi that create networks under the soiland connect plants with each other, thus creating a living ecosystem of shared resources.

The cellar became my home. I live with wines, growing and caring for them every day. Our cellar is as unique as an artisan's workplace can be. But it is, in the first place, a large, two-story house for wine. Manic hygiene of vineyards and cellars, the focus on terroir, rich varietal base, and culinary approach to winemaking are my main weapons as I try to take my natural wines to all-new dimensions. Each year, 10 -15 different wines emerge from our kvevris (underground clay jars). These include natural dry amber whites, reds, and roses that are full of the tastes and aromas of nature.

I live with the life of wine, routinely focused on growing pleasant, long-living natural wines. Living Wines are not mere candies, they strengthen humans' willingness for life. So I serve these Life Elixirs. Winemaking is a true art for me. It enables self-expression and speaks the truth - just as any other piece of art does! you express your soul and openness to nature when you make wine. The closer you are to nature and the closer to the wine you are, the more daring you are to make crazy, but thoughtful and meaningful experiments. And the truth the wine says is pureness and harmony, depth and character, and richness, and beauty. What art does it better?