Owner’s literal drive spans tourism in the country of his birth, wine with an 8,000-year lineage and now a restaurant and bar near Gallions Reach DLR
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Beka Kereselidze’s story is one of obsession and, literally, drive.
The Royal Docks resident, along with his wife, Tatia Bichashvili, opened Sad Meli Georgian Gastronomy And Raw Wines close to Gallions Reach DLR a little over a year ago and it’s been quite the journey.
Born in Tbilisi, Beka initially came to the UK to visit friends in 2007 and decided to stay.
“At 23, I saw opportunities here for work and I wanted some fun in my life, but I was also going back to Georgia quite often,” he said.
“My family has a summer place in a small village called Sadmeli in the Racha region – it’s where my grandfather used to make wine.
“Georgia is the homeland of wine – we’ve been making it for 8,000 years. Georgian culture and wine come together.
“We have it in our blood, with the forest and the vineyards. It’s normal to have a family tradition of making it and everyone compares theirs with everyone else’s.”
dreaming big
While Beka’s father had continued to make some wine on the site for family consumption, his son had bigger dreams.
After getting married in 2016, as is customary, the couple made a wine together using the traditional qvevri – massive clay pots buried in the ground as vessels for fermentation and ageing.
Buoyed by its reception at a wine festival, Beka was further enthused and began studying production in earnest.
He spent a decade working as a long-distance lorry driver for Sainsbury’s in the UK, raising money to build the Sadmeli property in Georgia into a proper winery with a terrace restaurant and a guest-house.
“My parents thought I was crazy at first, but when you want something, you do it,” said Beka.
“I was taking online courses on natural wine making.
“On the road I would listen to lessons and other drivers would make fun of me for reading about wine all the time.
“But I was really interested – it was quite an obsession.
“While I was studying I was building a wine cellar and starting to make wine.
“By 2019 I was starting to import the wine to the UK, selling it in restaurants and now wine shops and, by 2022, we finished building Sadmeli, ready to welcome guests.”
building Sad Meli
Supported by his family and funded through long hours on the road and a loan from Lloyds bank, the business has since flourished.
However, having relocated to east London, Beka saw further opportunity.
“I’d noticed these mostly empty units close to where I lived, found out who owned them and made the offer,” he said.
“At first, they said no, but then they agreed. I was happy, but also a little bit scared because I didn’t have the money at that time.”
With cash from the Sadmeli operation, more support from Lloyds, contributions from family and help from friends, he overcame that hurdle and began fitting out what was initially supposed to be a wine shop and subsequently morphed into a restaurant and bar.
“Somehow we did it,” said Beka. “We opened on October 11, 2024 – a Friday and my god it was scary.
“I wasn’t really ready but we’d announced it and then we got a booking.
“A few minutes later we got another one. I don’t think I slept for the three or four days beforehand.
“Then, from that day, I haven’t had a day off. But people really like it.
“They enjoy the wine and we’ve made lots of friends. It’s very rewarding.”
Sad Meli in Royal Docks
Sad Meli Georgian Gastronomy And Raw Wines serves up a selection of traditional dishes from Georgia such as Pkhali, Adjaruli Khachapuri, Kharcho soup alongside sides and imported soft drinks.
Providing the backbone of the menu, however, are Khinkali dumplings, filled with meat, cheese or mushrooms.
Beka said: “I’m cooking and I have all my mum’s recipes. It’s what we wanted for this place, that the experience comes directly from Georgia.
“There’s a large eastern European community here and they like Georgian food and wine.
“I try to make everything fresh, which takes time, but we have an open kitchen and people see me cooking and they love this kind of process.
“Guests might have to wait sometimes, but then they drink more wine, which is good for business.
“Our biggest seller is the Khinkali dumplings – they will always be on the menu – but other things I like to change to keep it fresh.
“We are very proud that we have customers who have never tried Georgian food before.
“It’s not just a restaurant, but it’s the country and culture and the wine as well.
“They’re happy because they’ve tried something new.”
stocking the bottles
Having studied wine extensively at leading global centre of excellence, the Wine And Spirit Education Trust in Southwark, Beka is delighted to curate a wide range of bottles alongside the wines he’s produced at Sadmeli.
“We make six or seven types of wine ourselves including our signature Saparevi, a full-bodied red made with the most common grape in Georgia,” he said.
“It’s been popular and this year’s has now sold out.
“All the work at the winery is done by hand because my father isn’t used to mechanical processes and we don’t use chemicals on the vines or in production.
“The vineyards we get our grapes from are small. We make good quality wine in small quantities.
“We don’t add sulphites, for example, and we don’t add yeast through the fermentation.
“Since we opened Sad Meli in Royal Docks, once I’ve poured my wine for them, no-one asks for anything else or says they don’t like it.
“That’s a source of pride for me. People love it and it feels almost unreal.
“Sometimes I’m tired, but its that feedback from the customers that gives us the motivation to continue.
“Mine and my wife’s lives have completely changed.
“We had an aim together and we’ve achieved it.
“For me, I wanted to do something here instead of driving and now I do.”
key details: Sad Meli Georgian Gastronomy And Raw Wines
Sad Meli Georgian Gastronomy And Raw Wines is located on the eastern edge of Gallions Roundabout, south of the junction with Atlantis Avenue.
It’s within easy walking distance of Gallions Reach DLR station and is open daily from noon.
You can find out more about the venue here
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