2-Day Kakheti Wine Tour from Tbilisi

Day 1: Tbilisi – Khashmi – Giuaani – Sighnaghi – Kvareli

We leave Tbilisi in the morning and travel east into Kakheti. As the city disappears behind us, the landscape opens into farmland, dry hills and the vineyards of the Iori Valley.

Chateau Khashmi

Our first stop is the village of Khashmi, one of Georgia’s protected Saperavi-producing areas. We visit Chateau Khashmi, a small family cellar where wine is fermented and matured in traditional clay qvevri.

This is a short introductory visit rather than a large formal tasting. Depending on the current vintage and availability, there may also be an opportunity to try Kisi, one of Kakheti’s most distinctive indigenous white grapes.

Giuaani Winery in Manavi

We continue to Giuaani, one of the best-established wineries on this side of Kakheti. Here, modern equipment, oak barrels and traditional qvevri are used side by side.

During the guided winery visit, we learn how European-style and traditional Georgian wines are produced and taste a selection chosen by the winery. Giuaani provides an excellent introduction to the Manavi wine area and the aromatic Kakhuri Mtsvane grape.

Walk and wine tasting in Sighnaghi

From Manavi, we travel to Sighnaghi, a small hilltop town overlooking the Alazani Valley. We take a relaxed walk through its cobbled streets, balconies and viewpoints before visiting Okro’s Wines.

Okro’s is a boutique producer known for natural qvevri wines and a terrace with wide views across the valley. The tasting is more personal and informal than at a large commercial winery, giving us another perspective on contemporary Georgian winemaking.

Traditional lunch at Wine Yard N1

Our journey continues to Wine Yard N1 in the village of Akhalsopeli, in the Kvareli municipality. This is not a hurried restaurant stop. It is a family-hosted Kakhetian meal served in a garden and traditional wine cellar setting.

Lunch includes homemade regional dishes prepared from local ingredients. We see the family’s marani, hear about life in the Kindzmarauli area and may taste wine drawn directly from a qvevri. Georgian meals are generous, social occasions, so we allow enough time to enjoy the food without rushing.

Kvareli Wine Cave – tunnel visit without tasting

In the late afternoon, we visit Kvareli Wine Cave, also known as the Kvareli Wine Tunnel. The complex contains kilometres of underground passages where the stable natural temperature creates suitable conditions for storing and ageing wine.

This stop is included for the tunnel tour and its unusual history. No wine tasting is planned here because the day already includes several more personal wine experiences.

Overnight in Kvareli

After the tunnel visit, we check into our accommodation in Kvareli. The evening is free to rest, walk around the town or have dinner independently.

Day 2: Kvareli – Nekresi Area – Tsinandali – Kondoli – Gombori – Tbilisi

After breakfast, we leave Kvareli and travel west through the Alazani Valley. The Greater Caucasus Mountains remain visible across the vineyards as we approach the Nekresi and Shilda area.

Friends’ Cellar and Nelkarisi near Nekresi

Our first visit is Friends’ Cellar at the Nelkarisi estate, close to Nekresi. The estate combines vineyards, winemaking and the archaeological landscape of ancient Nelkarisi.

We visit the cellar, taste a selection of local wines and learn about wine production in the Kvareli and Kindzmarauli areas. When arranged in advance, the visit can include an early traditional lunch or a substantial wine-and-food pairing.

Tsinandali historic wine cellar

We then continue to the historic Tsinandali Estate, once the home of Prince Alexander Chavchavadze. Rather than adding another standard tasting, we focus on the estate’s cultural and winemaking history.

The visit includes the old wine cellar and historic collection, where thousands of Georgian and European bottles preserve nearly two centuries of wine history. It is one of the most important places for understanding how Georgian and European winemaking traditions began to meet during the nineteenth century.

Ghvardzelashvili’s Marani in Kondoli

Our next stop is a small family winery in Kondoli, between Tsinandali and Telavi. Ghvardzelashvili’s Marani produces limited quantities of natural wine from its own vineyards.

The atmosphere is personal, warm and distinctly Kakhetian. We see the family marani, hear how the wines are cared for throughout the year and taste traditional qvevri wines accompanied by simple local snacks. The winery also works with Jghia, a rare indigenous Georgian grape variety that many visitors have never encountered before.

Zaza Kbilashvili’s qvevri workshop

Before leaving Kakheti, we visit the Kbilashvili family in Vardisubani. Zaza Kbilashvili is a fourth-generation qvevri maker who continues to construct the large clay vessels entirely by hand.

We learn how local clay is prepared, how a qvevri is built gradually over several months and how the finished vessel is dried, fired and lined with beeswax. This visit connects everything we have tasted during the tour with the craft that makes traditional Georgian winemaking possible.

Return through the Gombori Range

In the late afternoon, we begin our return to Tbilisi across the Gombori Range. Weather permitting, we pause at a panoramic point to look back towards the Alazani Valley and the Caucasus Mountains.

Arrival in Tbilisi is expected in the evening, completing a circular two-day journey through the heart of Georgia’s wine country.