Kakheti Wine Tour from Tbilisi

Kakheti is where Georgians make their wine — and they have been doing it longer than almost anyone on earth. The local method uses qvevri: big egg-shaped clay vessels buried to the neck in the cellar floor, where the wine ferments and ages on its skins. It gives Kakhetian whites their deep amber colour and is recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's cultural heritage.

We drive east from Tbilisi into the Alazani valley, a broad sweep of vineyards with the Greater Caucasus rising along the far side. The day's anchor is Sighnaghi, a small walled town of red roofs, balconies and cobbled lanes on a hill above the valley, with Bodbe Monastery and its gardens just outside.

The heart of it, though, is a family cellar. You'll see the qvevri, taste what comes out of them, and — if you're hungry — sit down to a supra, the Georgian feast, where the toasts are as much a part of the meal as the food. It's the warmest possible introduction to the country.

— The Georgia by Car team

We pick you up directly from your Tbilisi hotel or apartment — no meeting point to find. A typical start is around 9–10am, and we'll fix the exact time with you.

Because your driver-guide does the driving, everyone in the group is free to taste. Come with an appetite — the Georgian table is generous, and very welcoming to vegetarians. If you visit during the autumn rtveli (grape harvest), you may even get to help pick and press.