Kakheti Wine
5
Day Itinerary •
Georgia
Five days in the Kakheti wine region gives you the complete extraordinary range of Georgia's oldest wine culture, from the hilltop wine town of Sighnaghi and the ancient Alaverdi Cathedral to the extraordinary family qvevri cellars of the Alazani valley, the David Gareja cave monastery on the desert steppe, the Lagodekhi nature reserve on the Azerbaijani border and the extraordinary harvest festival of Rtveli in the finest wine season in the Caucasus. This route covers the full Kakheti wine country at a leisurely pace. Sighnaghi walls and Bodbe monastery, Pheasant's Tears natural wine, the Alaverdi Cathedral, Tsinandali estate, qvevri family tastings, David Gareja cave monastery, Lagodekhi forest, Gremi royal ruins, Telavi fortress and the extraordinary Kvareli wine cave in the mountain.
Best Time To Visit
May to June or September to October
Getting There
Drive 1.5 hours east from Tbilisi (TBS)
Getting Around
Rental car essential; wine road well signed
Budget Per Day
Approx 40 to 75 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
SIGHNAGHI AND BODBE
MORNING
SIGHNAGHI, THE WINE TOWN WITH THE CAUCASUS VIEW
Sighnaghi is the finest hilltop town in Kakheti, its complete 18th-century walls enclosing stone houses and wine cellars with extraordinary views over the Alazani valley and the Greater Caucasus beyond. The 45-minute wall circuit passes 23 towers. The Sighnaghi Museum has the finest collection of Niko Pirosmani paintings outside Tbilisi, the extraordinary self-taught Georgian painter whose works now hang in the world's finest galleries. Museum entry approx 5 GEL. Drive: 15 min drive
MIDDAY
BODBE MONASTERY AND THE SPRING OF ST NINO
The Bodbe Monastery is the burial place of St Nino who brought Christianity to Georgia in the 4th century. The spring below the monastery with its extraordinary healing reputation draws pilgrims from across the country. The monastery garden gives the finest view over the Alazani valley and the Caucasus. The extraordinary frescoes in the Church of St Nino are among the finest in Kakheti. Entry free. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
PHEASANT'S TEARS AND THE NATURAL WINE MOVEMENT
The Pheasant's Tears winery founded by American artist John Wurdeman is the most celebrated natural wine producer in Georgia, its extraordinary amber wines made in qvevri jars the finest expression of Georgia's 8,000-year wine tradition. The tasting room and wine bar in Sighnaghi is outstanding. An afternoon exploring the natural wine bars of the old town, tasting indigenous varieties including Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane and Kisi, is the finest introduction to Georgian wine. Tasting from 15 GEL.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Manavi fortress ruins on the hill above the Alazani valley between Sighnaghi and Bodbe are one of the finest and least visited medieval fortifications in Kakheti. The extraordinary views over the vineyard plain from the ruins, with the Caucasus above, are among the finest in the region. Free, 10 minutes from the Bodbe road.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Sighnaghi Coffee with the extraordinary Caucasus panorama. Sighnaghi cafes are excellent. | Lunch: Restaurant Sighnaghi Georgian lamb with walnut sauce and local Rkatsiteli amber wine on the town terrace. | Dinner: Pheasant's Tears The finest natural wine dinner in Georgia. Local ingredients, extraordinary qvevri wines. Book ahead.
DAY 2
ALAZANI VALLEY
MORNING
ALAVERDI CATHEDRAL, GEORGIA'S TALLEST MEDIEVAL CHURCH
The Alaverdi Cathedral rising from the Alazani valley plain is one of the tallest medieval churches in Georgia, an extraordinary 11th-century structure with the Greater Caucasus directly above. The working monastery wine cellar produces Alaverdi wine in original qvevri jars using a tradition that dates to the monastery's founding. The extraordinary interior frescoes and the monastery garden are both outstanding. The view from the road approaching Alaverdi across the vineyard plain is extraordinary. Entry free. Drive: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
TSINANDALI ESTATE, GEORGIA'S FIRST EUROPEAN-STYLE WINERY
The Tsinandali estate is the finest historic wine property in Georgia, the former home of poet Prince Alexander Chavchavadze where the first Georgian wine was bottled in the European style in the 19th century. The extraordinary palace museum, the oldest wine cellar in Georgia with remarkable historic vintages, and the beautiful formal garden make this the finest estate visit in Kakheti. Entry approx 10 GEL. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
FAMILY QVEVRI WINE CELLARS OF NAPAREULI
The village of Napareuli near Telavi has the finest concentration of traditional qvevri wine producers in Kakheti, small family operations producing extraordinary amber Rkatsiteli and dark Saperavi in earthen-floored cellars using methods unchanged for generations. Several families welcome visitors for tastings directly from the qvevri jars. The wine costs almost nothing and the extraordinary hospitality of Georgian wine culture is the finest experience in Kakheti.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Nekresi monastery on the mountain above the Alazani valley is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in Georgia, founded in the 4th century. The 4WD drive or 1-hour walk to the monastery gives extraordinary views over the entire wine region. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse in Sighnaghi Extraordinary Georgian breakfast before the valley drive. | Lunch: Alaverdi monastery area Monastery bread, cheese and Alaverdi wine with the cathedral view. | Dinner: Guesthouse in Telavi Traditional Georgian supra dinner. Extraordinary hospitality and local wine.
DAY 3
DAVID GAREJA AND KVARELI
MORNING
DAVID GAREJA, CAVE MONASTERY ON THE DESERT STEPPE
David Gareja is the most extraordinary monastery complex in Georgia, a network of cave churches carved into the volcanic Gareja ridge on the semi-desert steppe near Azerbaijan. Founded in the 6th century, the monastery's extraordinary frescoes in cave churches date from the 9th to 14th centuries and are among the finest medieval paintings in the Caucasus. The steppe landscape approaching David Gareja, unlike anywhere else in Georgia, is extraordinary in itself. Entry free. Drive: On ridge
MIDDAY
UDABNO RIDGE WALK AND THE AZERBAIJAN VIEW
The ridge walk above the David Gareja monastery gives the most extraordinary view in eastern Georgia, looking from the Georgian side across the volcanic ridges and semi-desert into Azerbaijan. The Udabno monastery on the south face has extraordinary 11th-century frescoes in remarkable condition. The ridge at sunset is extraordinary. The walk from the main monastery to the Udabno viewpoint takes 30 minutes. Do not cross the marked Azerbaijani border. Drive: 2 hour drive
AFTERNOON
ARRIVAL IN KVARELI AND THE WINE CAVE
Kvareli in eastern Kakheti is the home of the extraordinary Kindzmarauli wine cave, a Soviet-era storage facility carved 8km into the mountain where Kindzmarauli naturally sweet red wine and Saperavi are aged in extraordinary underground galleries. The cave tour with tasting is one of the most remarkable wine experiences in Georgia. Kvareli town itself is the finest base for the eastern Kakheti region. Cave tour with tasting approx 25 GEL.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Iori river valley between David Gareja and Kvareli passes through the finest steppe landscape in Georgia, ancient watchtowers rising from the plain and extraordinary Caucasus views above. The drive is the finest landscape journey in eastern Georgia and completely unvisited by tourists.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse in Telavi Early departure breakfast before the David Gareja drive. Pack food for the steppe. | Lunch: Picnic on the Gareja ridge Bring food from Telavi. Eating on the extraordinary ridge above Azerbaijan is unforgettable. | Dinner: Guesthouse in Kvareli Traditional Georgian dinner after the extraordinary steppe and cave day.
DAY 4
LAGODEKHI AND EASTERN KAKHETI
MORNING
LAGODEKHI NATIONAL PARK, PRIMEVAL FOREST ON THE AZERBAIJAN BORDER
The Lagodekhi National Park in eastern Kakheti is the finest temperate forest in Georgia, an extraordinary wilderness of old-growth beech, oak and chestnut reaching to the borders of Azerbaijan and Russia. The Lagodekhi trail follows the extraordinary Lagodekhi river gorge to a series of cascading waterfalls through forest that has never been logged. Brown bear, lynx and Eastern Caucasian tur live in the park. Entry approx 3 GEL. Drive: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
ALAZANI RIVER VALLEY AND EASTERN KAKHETI VILLAGES
The Alazani river valley in eastern Kakheti between Lagodekhi and Kvareli is the finest and least visited section of the wine region, its extraordinary combination of old-growth river forest, traditional wine villages and the Greater Caucasus above producing one of the most beautiful landscapes in Georgia. Several remarkable medieval churches in the villages along the river are accessible by dirt tracks through the vineyards. The Alazani itself is excellent for swimming in summer. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
KVARELI FORTRESS AND THE FINEST SAPERAVI
The Kvareli fortress was the last stronghold of King Erekle II during the devastating Persian invasion of 1785. The extraordinary walls and towers, partly restored, give the finest views over the Alazani valley and the eastern Caucasus. The Kvareli wine producers are the finest for the dark Saperavi grape, making wines of extraordinary depth from the oldest vines in Kakheti. Several small producers in town sell directly from the cellar at prices that are extraordinary.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Kondoli village near Kvareli has the finest local chacha grape brandy producers in Kakheti, small family distilleries making extraordinary clear and aged grape spirit from Saperavi pomace. Ask at the guesthouse for directions to a family distillery. The hospitality and the chacha are both extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse in Kvareli Early breakfast before the Lagodekhi drive. Pack water and snacks for the forest trail. | Lunch: Picnic by the Alazani Fresh bread, cheese and Saperavi from Kvareli eaten by the extraordinary river. | Dinner: Guesthouse in Kvareli Final Kakheti dinner. Extraordinary local Saperavi with traditional Georgian dishes.
DAY 5
TELAVI AND GREMI
MORNING
TELAVI FORTRESS AND THE 900-YEAR PLANE TREE
Telavi's Batonis Tsikhe fortress is the finest in Kakheti, the palace of the last King of Kakheti Erekle II who unified Georgia in the 18th century. The museum inside has an extraordinary collection of Kakhetian royal objects and the courtyard contains a plane tree claimed to be 900 years old, one of the most extraordinary trees in Georgia. The view from the fortress walls over the Alazani valley to the Caucasus is the finest panorama in Telavi. Entry approx 3 GEL. Drive: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
GREMI, THE RUINED ROYAL CAPITAL OF KAKHETI
Gremi was the royal capital of the Kakhetian kingdom from the 15th to 17th centuries, destroyed by Shah Abbas of Persia in 1616. The extraordinary Archangels Church still stands on its hill with the royal tower alongside, giving the finest views over the Alazani valley. The ruins of the medieval city cover an extraordinary area below the church. The contrast between the living fortress at Telavi and the destroyed capital at Gremi tells the complete story of Georgian history. Entry approx 3 GEL. Drive: 1.5 hour drive to Tbilisi
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO TBILISI
The drive from Telavi to Tbilisi passes over the extraordinary Gombori Pass giving panoramas over both the Kakheti valley and the Iori steppe. The final views of the Greater Caucasus before the city give an extraordinary farewell to the finest wine region in the world. Stock up on qvevri wine, churchkhela and local honey at the Telavi market before the drive. Georgia and its extraordinary wine culture will make every subsequent wine experience feel ordinary by comparison.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Ikalto monastery and academy near Telavi is the finest medieval educational complex in Georgia, founded in the 6th century and expanded into a great academy in the 12th century where the poet Shota Rustaveli is said to have studied. The extraordinary ruins of the academy buildings are among the finest in Kakheti. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse in Telavi Final Kakheti breakfast with local honey and churchkhela before returning to Tbilisi. | Lunch: Restaurant near Gremi Georgian lamb and local Saperavi with the extraordinary Alazani valley view. | Dinner: Tbilisi restaurant Final Georgian dinner in the capital. Barbarestan or the Fabrika area wine bars.
Where To Stay
Sighnaghi, Nights 1-2 Guesthouses with Caucasus views. Approx 30 to 60 USD per night. Telavi, Nights 3-4 Guesthouses in old town. Approx 25 to 55 USD per night. Kvareli, Night 4 Guesthouses near the wine cave. Approx 25 to 50 USD per night.
Top Tips
1. The Rtveli grape harvest in October is the finest time to visit Kakheti. Guesthouses invite guests to participate and the atmosphere in the vineyards is extraordinary.
2. Georgian amber wine fermented on the skins in qvevri for six months is the oldest wine tradition in the world. The result is tannic, complex and extraordinary.
3. Family wine cellars give the finest Kakheti experience. Ask at guesthouses and follow handwritten signs on the road. A litre of extraordinary wine costs 3 to 5 USD direct.
4. David Gareja straddles the Georgia-Azerbaijan border. The ridge walk above the monastery is extraordinary but do not cross the marked border under any circumstances.
5. The Lagodekhi national park contains the finest temperate forest in eastern Georgia, reaching to the Azerbaijani and Russian borders with extraordinary wildlife.
6. Georgian guesthouse breakfasts are extraordinary. Churchkhela, local honey, fresh cheese, walnut paste and tarragon wine are all standard. They are the finest breakfasts in the Caucasus.
Total Budget
40 to 75 USD/day