Discover Qvevri (Amber) WINE
Features: 12 Day - 11 Night
Arrival - Tbilisi international airport
Departure Tbilisi /Batumi international airport
Category: Wine and gastro tour, cultural tour
Season: Year-round
Guest: 2 - 18
Price* per Person: from 890 $
GEORGIANS ARE RIGHTLY proud of their rich and historic winemaking culture, and as traditional methods enjoy a renaissance, the qvevri - an earthenware vessel used to store and age wine for thousands of years - is becoming the unofficial symbol of the country. There are over 500 indigenous species of grape (most used for wine) in Georgia, far more than anywhere else, most of them still completely unknown to the rest of the world.
Day 1 Arrival in Tbilisi
Flight to Tbilisi, meeting in airport and transfer to hotel, rest.
Free evening
Day 2 Tbilisi (warm city) - capital of Georgia
Discover Tbilisi, more than 1500 years old city, in all its historical and architectural diversity.
Main sights:
- Metekhi fortress, Abanotubani - famous sulphur bathhouses. Narikhala fortress, the main citadel of the Tbilisi with the superb panoramic view of the city. Meidani, Sioni Cathedral, Antchiskhati Church (6-th c), the oldest basilica in Tbilisi.
- First meeting with Georgian wine - wine cellar in old city , tasting of Georgian wines
- Open Air Museum of Ethnography - displaying the examples of folk architecture and craftwork from various regions of the country
Evening in a Georgian restaurant with a folk concert will slightly open the curtain in your knowledge of Georgian cuisine
Day 3 - kakheti - wine cellar of Georgia
Kakheti is the main region of Georgian winemaking. Vineyards that give some of the country’s best wines are located in the basins of Alazani and Iory rivers.
Main Sights:
- Telavi - capital of Kakhetian Kingdom, Batonistsikhe citadel and 900 years old giant plane tree,
- Marani – Traditional Georgian wine cellar and vineyard. Meeting the 8 000 year old winemaking process seasonally you have opportunities to take part in the vintage and winemaking process (middle August- September)
- Kvareli tunnel – wine cellar in the tunnel of Caucasus mountain - acquaintance and tasting of Georgian ( Kvevri) wine (The fertile valleys and protective slopes of the Transcaucasia were home to grapevine cultivation and neolithic wine production for at least 8000 years)
Touching of traditional Georgia table “Supra”
Overnight in Kvareli
Day 4 Following wine rout of Kakheti
- Museum of wine and winemaking
- City of love Sighnaghi and famous defensive wall of city
- Ethnographical yard and museum
Overnight in Tbilisi
Day 5 - Wines of Kartli
Kartli - another winemaking region, which is well-known for its high-quality classical European-type and sparkling wines
Main Sights
- Mtsketa ancient capital of Georgia. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari Monastery (VII- VIII c) - UNESCO World Heritage Sites;
- Armazi fortress (4 rd c BC – VIII AD ); and ancient wine Cellar ( 1-3 AD)
- Chateau Mukhrani – castle and wine caller of Princes of Mukhrani Ivane Mukhranbatoni , testing Kartlian wines
Overnight in Kutaisi
Day 6 West Georgia – Imereti
Imereti is one of the most diverse regions in terms of winemaking. Its many climatic zones have various soil compositions, which make the varieties of wines produced here very different from each other.
Kutaisi city tour "Okros Chardakhi" – Georgian Kings’ Palace; Bagrati Cathedral (XXI c) UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gelati Complex - Main cultural and intellectual centers in Georgia for a long period; UNESCO World Heritage Site;
Tasting of Imeretian wines
Overnight in Kutaisi
Day 7 Amazing mountain winery region – Racha - Lechkhumi
Racha-Lechkhumi region stands out for its small territory and rare, unique varieties of vines. 60 endemic grape varieties are derived from the ancient period. Locals still keep archaic winemaking methods described in ancient Roman and Greek sources
Georgian Noble, Dimitri Kipiani in the 1880s made perfect demi-doux (semi-sweet) red wine from. It was called “The Kipiani Wine” and In 1907 The Kipiani Wine was granted the Gold Grand Prize of European Wine Festival at Osten in Belgium.
Main Sights
- Shaori Lake, Nikortsminda Cathedral ( XI AD), Barakoni (XVIII AD)
- Visit Kipiani cellar, history of Khvanchkara winery , testing Khvanchkara wine
Overnights in Ambrolauri
Day 8 –Adjara – next winemaking region of Georgia
Adjara is a fascinating and unique area, where the sea collides with mountain range. One of the must-see regions in Georgia, Adjara has fairly built up a superb reputation as one of the best resort areas,
Main Sights
- Batumi old and new boulevards - famous Seaside Park; Dolphinarium, Gonio fortress is a Roman fortification in Adjara.
Overnight in Batumi
Day 9 - Adjarian wine house
in Adjara mountains, in the midst of unique nature, we will visit a multi-functional "Adjarian Wine House" surrounded by vineyards, having Georgian restaurant, wine factory, enotheque, wine cellar with Qvevri and wine tasting halls.
Overnight in Batumi
Day 10– back to Tbilisi
Free day in Batumi, enjoy the sun and sea, Tasting famous Adjarian Khachapuri
At the evening travel back to Tbilisi
Overnight in Tbilisi
Day 11– Tbilisi - From the medieval city to the bourgeois
You will meet with the bourgeois city of the 19th century. Visit to Sarajishvili brandy factory. Testing of Georgian brandy
Visit Famous Dry Bridge and flea market
Overnight in Tbilisi
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Day 12– Tbilisi departure
Transfer to Tbilisi international airport for departure
*Price includes:
- Transfers by a comfortable Climate Controlled car,
- Accommodation in 3* hotels ( BB)
- Professional guide service during the tour
- Excursions in accordance with the program
- Entrance fees, wine testingсs, Master classes in accordance with the program
- welcome diner, dinner in Kakheti and all lunches during the tour ( 9 X)
- All local taxes
- 1 bottle of water per day