Wine Tasting Tour in Georgia's Cradle of Wine

Itinerary Day 1: Tbilisi - Bodbe Monastery - Signagi Stop At: Signagi, Signagi, Kakheti Region • 08:00 Breakfast • After breakfast, we drive towards Kakheti, the Wine home country. • We first arrive in Bodbe monastery. According to the legend, Saint Nino died in Bodbe in 335. She crossed the entire country healing and preaching people the true God. Originally, a little temple in honor of St.George was built on the burial place, but this temple did not survive. In 850 a new cathedral was erected instead of the old temple. It is a classic church in the best traditions of Georgian architecture. The 9th-century paintings and fragments of the 12th-17th-century frescos decorate the interior. • We continue our road to Signagi. The fortified town of Signagi is one of Georgia's smallest towns and it serves as a popular tourist destination due to its location at the heart of Georgia's wine-growing region. The Town lies high up on the ridge overlooking the Alazani valley. The defensive walls and 28 towers were built by the King Erekle II in the 18th century against the Lezgian invasion. Little has changed here for the last 200 years. The town preserved its original image. Located on a steep hill, Signagi overlooks the vast Alazani Valley, with the Caucasus Mountains visible at a distance. • Have Lunch in a local wine maker's restaurant with a beautiful view over Alazani Valley and Caucasus mountains. • Walk in the streets of Signagi. • Check-in at your hotel and rest until the evening. • Dinner in the nearby village at Lamara’s – An energetic lady, who has a silkworm farm, creates silk products and has a vast knowledge of herbal medicine and cosmetics from her ancestors. She also happens to be a fantastic cook; • Overnight in a 3* Hotel Bellevue or similar Duration: 1 day Meals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3* Hotel Bellevue or similar Day 2: Signagi Stop At: Signagi, Signagi, Kakheti Region • Breakfast at your hotel. • Free morning. • Visit Signagi Museum of Arts, Culture, and History. • Have lunch in a local family, where you will also have a masterclass of Khachapuri, Georgian cheese-bread and have local wine. • Visit a nearby ranch, where you can hire horses and have a one-hour ride. • After, you can visit Lost Ridge Brewery and try locally produced Beer. • Visit the Pheasants Tears winery, carpet shop & picture gallery. Pheasants Tears is founded by an artist and wine-maker John Wurdeman who settled in Signagi 20 years ago and supported local community with his creative ideas. Special dinner and wine tasting will be served at Pheasant’s Tears restaurant, where you will taste natural wines and delicious seasonal dishes made from local and organic products by the local chef. • Overnight at your hotel. Duration: 1 day Meals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3* Hotel Bellevue or similar Day 3: Signagi – Bakurtsikhe – Kvareli Stop At: Kvareli, Kvareli, Kakheti Region • 08:30 Breakfast • After breakfast, we start driving towards Bakurtsikhe village, where you will visit a local family winery. Here you will participate in Masterclass of making Georgian traditional sweets called Churchkhela and taste their wine. • After this we will drive to a big winery called Khareba. We’ll enter a tunnel, where their Wine cellar is located. You will have a guided session in the Winery and you will taste 3 or more wine types. • Have lunch in Khareba Restaurant. • Check-in in your hotel and rest until evening. • Have dinner at your hotel restaurant • Overnight at a 3* Hotel Chateau Kvareli or similar Duration: 1 day Meals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Accommodation included: Overnight at a 3* Hotel Chateau Kvareli or similar Day 4: Kvareli – Gremi Church complex – Alaverdi Monastery – Alvani – Telavi Stop At: Telavi, Telavi, Kakheti Region • 08:00 Breakfast • After breakfast we will visit Gremi Church and Alaverdi monastery, very interesting and beautiful architectural works from 11th and 17th centuries. • Lunch in Alvani village, where you will meet young winemaker from Tusheti, taste his wines and famous Tushetian Guda cheese as well as other traditional Tushetian dishes. • Drive to Telavi, the old Capital of once Kakhetian Kingdom. Walk in old Telavi and visit King Erekle II Palace. • Dinner in a local restaurant or family. • Overnight at a 3* Alazani Valley Hotel or similar Duration: 1 day Meals included: • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Accommodation included: Overnight at a 3* Alazani Valley Hotel or similar Day 5: Telavi – Ruispiri – Tbilisi Stop At: Ruispiri, Ruispiri, Kakheti Region • 09:00 Breakfast • After breakfast, we drive to a Kvevri maker to visit his workshop and get to know how wine storing vessels, Kvevris are being made. You will also tastes master’s homemade wine and Chacha. • Drive to Ruispiri village and visit biodynamic vineyards. The local young wine maker will host you and explain about biodynamic winemaking. • Have lunch and tasting in Ruispiri. • Drive back to Tbilisi. • End of the tour. Duration: 10 hours Meals included: • Breakfast • Lunch No accommodation included on this day.