Grand tour of Georgian wine

Tbilisi (arrival)

After your landing at the Tbilisi International Airport, your guide or a driver is waiting for you at the arrival hall inside the airport holding a plate with your name on it.

The transfer to your accommodation in Tbilisi takes around 30 minutes. Together with your guide, you discuss your tour which starts the next day and then you enjoy your free evening in Tbilisi.



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Tbilisi

We start our city walking tour in the old town, where we visit the Narikala Fortress, built in the 4th century by a Persian ethnarch.

The fortress is accessible both by foot and by cable car. From there we go down to the Abanotubani district with its sulfur baths – after Narikala the second eldest part of Tbilisi.



Your first culinary point of contact with Georgia will be Chikhirtma, a traditional chicken soup that is supposed to help against hangovers.



We take the funicular up to the mountain Mtatsminda, where we eat in one of the best restaurants in Tbilisi. Back in the old town, we taste natural wines produced according to the thousands of years old Qvevri method at our friend Sascha's wine shop.



In the evening you learn in a culinary masterclass how to prepare traditional Georgian dishes. Dinner will be at the same place.



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Tbilisi, Uplistsikhe, Khidistavi, Nakhshirghele, Zeda Sazano

Today’s first stop is the cave town Uplistsikhe, which is one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia.

Besides various accessible caves, one of the highlights is the Christian basilica from the 9th/10th century, which is located at the summit of the complex. From the top, you can enjoy a gorgeous view. From Uplistsikhe we drive to a small village called Khidistavi, where we’re invited to our friend’s country house.



You can taste different home-made, organic Qvevri wines. And of course, there will be a decent lunch as well. A few kilometers before Kutaisi, we visit Ramaz Nikoladze, a producer of organic wines which we taste there.



Another wine tasting awaits us at the Sazano Winery, where we can also bake Georgian bread ourselves. Dinner and overnight stay are at the Sazano Winery as well.



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Zeda Sazano, Tsqaltubo, Kumistavi, Ambrolauri, Zesi, Oni

We say goodbye to the winery in Zeda Sazano and to the Imereti region and set off for Racha, another wine region.

Thanks to its southern exposure and moderate rainfall, some autochthonous grape varieties thrive there, whose grapes are highly valued for their high sugar content.



On the way, we visit one of the abandoned sanatoriums in Tsqaltubo, which during the Soviet time was one of the most popular health resorts. Even Stalin and his entourage sought rest there. Today Tsqaltubo is somewhere between decay, reconstruction, melancholy and hope – definitely one of the most interesting places in Georgia.



After a boat trip through the Prometheus Caves, we reach the region of Racha, where we visit a winemaker in Ambrolauri and taste his wines. For dinner and overnight stay, we drive to the small town of Oni, which is situated in the middle of the Racha mountains.



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Oni, Nikortsminda, Tqibuli, Kutaisi

Unlike the day before we choose a different route back to Kutaisi this time.

The first stop is Nikortsminda, where we visit the cathedral built between 1010 and 1014 by King Bagrat III. Via the Shaori Reservoir and the industrial city of Tqibuli, we approach Kutaisi.



At the gates of the city, we visit the Gelati monastery complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of the most important queens and kings of Georgia are buried there, for example, Queen Rusudan, King Bagrat and Davit the Builder, who founded the Gelati Academy there in 1106.



In Kutaisi, there is enough time for a walk in the old town and for some of the sights of the city.



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Kutaisi, Katskhi, Chiatura, Chardakhi, Mtskheta, Tbilisi

For our way back to Tbilisi we use the less known and less frequented Upper Imereti Road, which comes up with two interesting sights.

First, we visit the Katskhi Pillar, a natural, 40 m (131 ft) high limestone monolith which overlooks the small river valley of Katskhura.



The day’s main highlight is the manganese mining town of Chiatura, which is neither touristy nor beautiful – but very interesting. Due to its location in a narrow valley, it was not easy to transport workers and material to the mines and back. This is why the Soviets built more than 70 different cable cars. Today still 18 are in use, thereof 11 for passenger transport.



On the way back to Tbilisi we enjoy a wine tasting in Chardakhi and visit the ancient capital Mtskheta which belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage thanks to the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and other monuments.



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Tbilisi, Telavi, Gremi, Akhalsopeli, Sighnaghi

After one week in Georgia, it’s time to get to know the wine region of Kakheti.

However, we will not visit those wineries where the tourist masses cavort, but authentic, typical places that we have carefully selected for you. Via the Gombori mountain pass, we reach Kakheti’s capital Telavi, where we visit the Batonis Tsikhe Fortress and taste Kakhetian wines at Lagazi or Gvardzelashvili.



After a stopover at the Alaverdi Monastery and a visit to the Gremi Fortress, we will stay with our friends Tika and Maka in their country house.



In a cooking masterclass, we learn how to prepare traditional Georgian dishes such as Khinkali (dumplings) and Khachapuri (cheese bread). We enjoy our lunch with wine and Chacha in the beautiful garden. In the late afternoon, we head to Sighnaghi, the city of love, where another wine tasting awaits us.



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Sighnaghi, Davit Gareja, Tbilisi

In the very south of Kakheti, on the border with Azerbaijan, in a dry and steppe-like region, we visit Davit Gareja Cave Monastery.

The complex was built in the middle of the 6th century. After a long period in which it was no longer inhabited, a small monastic community lives and works there again today. Depending on the situation on the border, we can visit the whole complex or only a part of it.



Afterward, we return to the capital, where we visit the brandy factory Sarajishvili and taste three different brandys. The company was founded in 1884 by David Sarajishvili and is the oldest brandy producer in the whole country.



Later you can spend a relaxing evening in Tbilisi.



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Tbilisi

At the end of your trip, you enjoy a free day in Tbilisi.

Of course, we will be happy to give you tips for sightseeing, restaurants and activities.



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Tbilisi (departure)

We pick you up in front of your accommodation in Tbilisi and take you to the airport.

The journey takes approximately half an hour.