Kakheti
The birthplace of wine, eight thousand years in.
Kakheti: the home of Saperavi and Rkatsiteli
Georgia is where winemaking began, more than eight thousand years ago, and in the eastern region of Kakheti the old way survives: wine fermented in qvevri, huge clay vessels buried in the ground. The result includes the amber or orange wines, made by leaving white grapes on their skins, that the rest of the world is only now discovering. There is no better story in wine, and few better trips.
The wines
Saperavi is the deep, inky red grape, full of dark fruit and acidity. Rkatsiteli and other whites become amber wines when fermented on their skins in qvevri, gaining tannin and a savoury, tea-like character. Modern European-style wines are made too.
Where to go
Kakheti, east of the capital Tbilisi, is the wine heartland, with the walled hill town of Sighnaghi and the city of Telavi as bases. Family wineries open their doors and their qvevri, often alongside a generous home-cooked feast.
Eat
The Georgian table, the supra, is legendary: khachapuri cheese bread, khinkali dumplings, walnut-rich dishes and endless toasts. Saperavi and a Georgian feast is one of travel's great experiences.
Getting there
Fly into Tbilisi, then drive about two hours east into Kakheti. A car or a guided tour is the practical way to reach the family cellars.
Know the wine before you go.
The app teaches you Saperavi and Rkatsiteli in five minutes, then helps you order it with confidence. Learn the grape, then come back and plan the trip.
Kakheti wine tours & tastings
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Kakheti, quick answers.
What wine is Georgia known for?
Qvevri wines made in buried clay vessels, including deep red Saperavi and the skin-contact amber whites that inspired the modern orange-wine movement.
What is an amber or orange wine?
A white wine made like a red, left in contact with its grape skins, which gives colour, tannin and a savoury flavour. Georgia has made them this way for millennia.
Is Georgia good for wine travel?
Exceptionally, for the adventurous. The history is unmatched, the hospitality is overwhelming, and the wines are unlike anywhere else.
