Henry's Marani: The UK's First Traditional Georgian Qvevri Museum & Winery
A Hidden Corner of Georgia in the Heart of East Sussex
Tucked away in the rolling countryside near Lewes, within the grounds of Plumpton College's wine department, sits a remarkable outpost of one of the world's oldest wine cultures. Henry's Marani is the first traditional Georgian Qvevri museum and winery ever established in the United Kingdom, and it offers British wine lovers a rare chance to taste, see and even take part in a winemaking tradition stretching back some 8,000 years.
The name says it all. "Marani" is an elegant Georgian word meaning "wine cellar," and the winery's clay qvevri vessels - cone-shaped pots buried in the earth - are the very heart of the operation. It was precisely in Georgia where wine culture originated, and the Georgians were the first people to ferment, age and store wine in qvevri, a method so culturally significant that UNESCO enlisted the Qvevri winemaking technology as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.
The Founder and the Story Behind Henry's Marani
Henry's Marani was founded in 2017 by Henry Mchedlishvili, a Georgian by origin who had spent nearly two decades importing wines from his homeland to the UK. After years of bringing carefully selected Georgian bottles to British tables, Henry decided the next step was to bring the entire traditional Georgian winemaking experience itself to Britain - not as a curiosity or a museum piece, but as a living, working winery that the public could visit, learn from and taste.
The result is a unique hybrid: a functioning micro-winery embedded inside one of the UK's leading viticulture education centres, where visitors can walk among the buried qvevri, witness the ancient method in action and taste the wines it produces. The project is supported by several partner organisations, including the British Georgian Chamber of Commerce and the Kakhetian Traditional Winemakers Association.
The UNESCO-Listed Qvevri Method Explained
Qvevri winemaking is as old as civilisation in the Caucasus. The process begins with pressing the grapes, after which the juice - along with the grape skins, stalks and pips - is poured into a large, egg-shaped clay vessel called a qvevri. The vessel is then sealed and buried in the ground, where the natural cool, stable temperature allows the wine to ferment and age for five to six months before it is ready to drink.
Depending on how long the juice is left in contact with the skins and stems, the resulting wines can be straw-pale whites, deep amber-orange wines, or rich, structured reds. For most Georgian farmers and city people alike, this method is simply "the way wine is made," and traditional Georgian wine is, in a very real sense, unimaginable without the qvevri.
The use of earthen amphorae placed in the ground for fermentation is a signature feature of Georgian winemaking. While this traditional methodology is still used widely for the production of authentic Georgian wines, European methods are also employed for certain varietals and blends, depending on the region and the desired style. At Henry's Marani, the focus is firmly on the ancient way - the qvevri is king.
The Premium Qvevri Wines
Henry's Marani produces a small, focused range of premium qvevri wines, each reflecting a different expression of the skin-contact method. All are available to purchase through the Henry's Wines online shop.
White No.1
A light, straw-coloured wine boasting sweet and gentle white fruits with a crisp and balanced palate. This is a clean, no-skin-contact style - made in qvevri but fermented off the skins, giving a refreshing, aromatic white that pairs beautifully with light dishes.
Orange No.1
An amber-coloured wine boasting sweet and gentle white fruits with a full body and hints of cherry and figs. This wine sees 15 days of skin contact, picking up the tannin, colour and complexity that defines the increasingly popular "orange wine" category. It is a beautiful expression of what white grapes can become when given time with their skins in clay.
Red No.1
A deep red, full-bodied wine boasting blackcurrant and plum tones. The juice spends 10 days on the skins, giving the wine its depth, structure and rich dark-fruit character. A perfect match for hearty, slow-cooked dishes.
Red No.2
A lighter, cherry-coloured wine boasting floral tones with a smooth and light body. With 8 days of skin contact, this is a more delicate, aromatic red that drinks almost like a chilled rosato - versatile and food-friendly.
The Georgian Wine Tour Experience
The flagship experience at Henry's Marani is the Georgian Wine Tour UK, a guided experience that takes visitors through every stage of the qvevri process. Tours begin at From £150.00 per group (a minimum of 6 persons and a maximum of 15), which works out at £25.00 per person.
When and Where
Tours run every Saturday at two times: 12:00 noon and 3:00pm. The meeting point is the Plumpton College wine department in Brighton - one of the UK's few dedicated viticulture teaching facilities. Booking is straightforward: visitors select their group size, choose a preferred date, pick a tour time, and pay securely via PayPal.
What Is Included
- A guided wine tasting experience featuring both English and Georgian wines.
- The Qvevri Opening Ceremony - Henry and his team open a Georgian qvevri to reveal the wine produced using ancient UNESCO-protected technology.
- The chance to watch and gain practical experience in the extraction, bottling and corking of the wine.
- A final tasting of multiple wines paired with cheese and biscuits.
Group bookings are available for minimum bookings or more, and those who want to experience the full qvevri opening ceremony should note that a minimum of 15 people on the tour day is required for that portion of the experience. Limited places are available on each tour, so early booking is recommended.
The Day Itself
From the moment guests arrive, the emphasis is on hands-on engagement. You will see the grapes being pressed, the juice poured into the buried clay vessels, and - if your tour falls on a special opening day - the lifting of the qvevri lid to reveal the finished wine beneath. The atmosphere is informal and friendly, with Henry and his team on hand to explain each step of the 8,000-year-old tradition. The tour finishes with a relaxed tasting and the chance to purchase bottles of the wines you have just encountered.
Visiting Henry's Marani
Henry's Marani is based within the Plumpton College Wine Department, an easy reach from Brighton and the wider East Sussex area. The full address is:
Henry's Marani
Plumpton College Wine Department
Wales Farm Lane, off Ditchling Road
Plumpton
Lewes
BN7 3AS
United Kingdom
For any enquiries, the team can be reached by email at info@henrysmarani.co.uk or by telephone on +44 (0) 7725 483720.
Why Henry's Marani Matters
At a time when British wine is enjoying a genuine renaissance, Henry's Marani represents something genuinely new under the sun. It is not a vineyard in the conventional sense - there are no rows of vines outside the door - but rather a working cellar and museum where an ancient tradition is being kept alive, taught, tasted and shared. For anyone with even a passing interest in natural wine, amber wines, or the world's oldest winemaking traditions, a visit to Henry's Marani is a chance to step into 8,000 years of history - not in the Caucasus, but right here in East Sussex.
Whether you come for the tour, the qvevri opening ceremony, or simply to buy a bottle of skin-contact white or a deep, plummy red from the online shop, Henry's Marani offers an experience that simply cannot be found anywhere else in Britain.