Culinary art of Kakheti

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, Badiauri, Akhalsopeli, Sighnaghi

Today your wine trip to Kakheti starts. The first stop is in the small village of Badiauri, where you taste fresh, home-made bread (Tonis Puri) and two different home-made cheese variations.

From there we drive along the Alazani Valley, probably the most important wine region in Georgia. We drive to the northern part of the valley and visit our friends Tika and Maka in the village of Akhalsopeli. In their country house, you learn how to prepare traditional Georgian dishes like Khinkali (dumplings) and Khachapuri (cheese bread). In the beautiful garden, you enjoy home-made wines and a decent lunch.



Today's final destination is Sighnaghi. The small town is called the city of love not only due to its romantic atmosphere but also because the town is extremely popular for couples willing to marry. In the city hall, people can get married around the clock for seven days and 24 hours. In Sighnaghi you have sightseeing and a wine tasting in one of the country’s best wineries for natural wines.



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Sighnaghi, Gremi, Napareuli, Telavi

After a walk through the cozy streets of Sighnaghi, we drive to Gremi to visit the Gremi Fortress.

This architectural complex was built in the 16th century and consists of the Archangels’ Church, a three-story castle, a bell tower and a wine cellar.



Not far from Gremi, we visit the Qvevri & Wine Museum in Napareuli, where we learn a lot about the traditional method of Georgian wine-making. Thanks to an archeological excavation in 2017 we know that on the territory of today’s Georgia people have been producing wine for 8,000 years. This makes Georgia the oldest wine-producing country in the world. And today the wine is still produced in the same way (Qvevri method).



On the way to Kakheti's capital Telavi, there is a stopover near the Alaverdi Monastery, where you can taste the Georgian specialty Matsoni in different variations. In the evening you can relax, have sightseeing or enjoy the deliciousness of Kakhetian cuisine.



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Telavi, Gombori, Tbilisi

The route back to Tbilisi does not follow Alazani Valley but goes through Gombori Mountain Pass.

The mountain range is a watershed that divides Kakheti into two regions. From the top of the mountain pass, one can enjoy quite a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.



Back in Tbilisi, you enjoy a walking tour in the old town, where you first 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 you go down to the Abanotubani district with its sulfur baths – after Narikala the second eldest part of Tbilisi. According to the Georgian Chronicles, Tbilisi was founded in the 5th century by King Vakhtang Gorgassali I, which was impressed by the hot springs in this area. These springs actually gave Tbilisi its name because in Georgian «tbili» means «warm».



There will be a break in Vino Underground, where you enjoy a wine tasting. And in the evening we take the funicular which brings you to the hill Mtatsminda, from where you enjoy a wonderful view of the city. You're invited to one of the city's best restaurants for a decent dinner (only for the guided tour option).



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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.