The 1999 Tbilisi Cellar Investigation

What happened in Tbilisi in 1999?

Baker and Hopko spent a week examining and recording a cellar containing approximately 40,000 bottles. The collection combined historic French wines with Georgian wines and spirits. The work involved looking at the bottles themselves, assessing authenticity and considering the potential value of the collection.

The investigation took place beneath the former Savane Winery No. 1, now Wine Factory No. 1, in Tbilisi. The city photograph and cellar records preserved in the archive place the journey in its original setting.

Who examined the collection?

John Baker brought his experience as a fine-wine merchant, including his work with Quaffers Double Bay Cellars and Bordeaux Shippers. Kevin Hopko had worked alongside Baker for many years on the assessment, authentication and valuation of fine and rare wine. His principal role in Tbilisi was to examine the bottles, assess authenticity and establish their potential value.

The book was later written by John Baker and author and journalist Nick Place. The book and the surviving photographs offer complementary ways to explore the investigation.

What the original archive records

The archive includes photographs of Tbilisi, people encountered during the journey, the stored bottles and a handwritten cellar inventory. These records document the investigation and the collection as encountered at that time. A photograph of a dusty bottle or a written vintage is one piece of evidence; it does not, by itself, establish a bottle’s full ownership history or present condition.

For searchable producer names, vintage ranges and the tasting observations described in the 1999 account, see Historic Wines in Stalin’s Wine Cellar. The handwritten Georgian inventory is reproduced there as an archive image; the English account is identified separately.

What did the investigation find?

The recorded wines included Château d’Yquem, Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Latour, alongside Burgundy, Madeira, Port and Georgian wines and spirits. The oldest Château d’Yquem recorded in the account was the 1847 vintage. The account also identifies vodka dated 1725 and Georgian brandy dated 1834.

Tasting observations belong to the bottles examined during the visit. The site’s account describes the wines tasted as typical for their age and singles out Château Suduiraut 1899 as outstanding. Those observations are historical records rather than assessments of bottles held in the cellar today.

How the 1999 investigation relates to the cellar today

The 1999 estimate and the Georgian National Wine Agency’s preliminary 2026 estimate describe different dates and assessments. The Agency announced a new identification and origin study when the enoteca reopened in May 2026. The original visit remains valuable context, while current condition and provenance require the later work.

Read the dated timeline and 2026 source documents · Read about the book · Listen to interviews and explore the archive

Archive context: Kevin Hopko’s account and original investigation photographs supplied to this website. Editorial update: 27 October 2026.