South Caucasus & Turkey

A Taste of Georgia: Wine, Cuisine & Culture

Photo credit: Ia Tabagari

Duration
13 Days
Price
From $5,995
Trip Type
Small Group
Group Size
Max 16
Activity Level
12345
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Meet winegrowers, chefs, artists, and singers as you taste your way across gorgeous Georgia

An Epicurean Adventure Across Georgia's Wine Country

Overview

International travelers are discovering what residents of the South Caucasus region have long known: Georgian food and wine are out-of-this-world good. This tour takes you to the places where Georgia’s extraordinary flavors shine brightest: in the vineyards, restaurants, and family tables where the country’s most accomplished winemakers and chefs ply their crafts. Along the way you’ll get to know the hip, historic capital city of Tbilisi, explore picturesque mountains dotted with centuries-old villages and monasteries, and discover firsthand why Georgians are famous for their hospitality.

Travels to: Georgia

Map

Itinerary

  • Days 1-3: Tbilisi (Georgia), Mtskheta

    Start your Georgian experience by getting to know hip, picturesque Tbilisi, the country’s capital and by far its largest city. A day of touring includes wandering the narrow streets of the red-roofed Old Town; a stroll down broad Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s main thoroughfare; and a funicular trip into the surrounding hills to see the 4th century Narikala Fortress and the towering Mother Georgia monument. You’ll then go underground to a cellar wine bar to sample a cross-section of Georgian wines. Dinner is a supra, a traditional feast with dozens of dishes and a tamada (toastmaster) leading the festivities.

    Next, take a day trip to the surrounding Kartli region. Visit UNESCO-listed Mtskheta, capital of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia from the 3rd century BC through the 5th century AD. Continue getting to know Georgian wines with tastings at the Saguramo Wine Research Station and the Mukhrani Chateau vineyard.

    HIGHLIGHTS

    • Landmarks in and around Tbilisi, including the 4th century Narikala Fortress, the hillside Mother Georgia monument, and the elaborately carved balconies of the Old Town
    • A thorough introduction to Georgian wine, with tastings at three sites
    • A supra – a traditional feast – showing off Georgia’s splendid cuisine and unstinting hospitality
    • UNESCO-listed Mtskheta’s two exceptional early Orthodox churches
  • Days 4-6: Kutaisi, Svaneti

    Drive into Imereti, a region of small farms, vineyards, villages, and orchards. Lunch with a local winemaker, then pause to wonder at Katskhis Sveti, a 140-foot-tall limestone monolith on top of which medieval monks built a tiny church and hermitage. At your overnight destination, the town of Kutaisi, have a dinner featuring Imeretian cuisine, some of Georgia’s most creative and complex cooking.

    On the following two days, explore UNESCO-listed 12th century Gelati Monastery; drive through the steep,  stunning Caucasus Mountains of the secluded Svaneti region, known for its UNESCO-listed medieval watchtowers; visit a Svanetian home for a gourmet lunch; and have a dinner accompanied by Svan singers performing in a traditional polyphonic style.

    HIGHLIGHTS

    • A dinner of traditional Imeretian cuisine; typical dishes include kid baked in a clay oven and wild mushrooms with tarragon and local cheese
    • The frescoes and mosaics of Gelati Monastery
    • The steep, remote mountains of Svaneti, studded with medieval watchtowers
    • A home-cooked Svanetian lunch, which might feature hen roasted in rose petals and eggplant slices stuffed with garlic-walnut paste
    • A performance of traditional songs in a centuries-old polyphonic style that developed independent of European rules of harmony
  • Days 7-9: Borjomi, Vardzia, Tbilisi

    Descend from the mountains to the town of Zugdidi, where lunch features another regional cuisine, Megrelian. In the afternoon visit a maker of qvevri, the giant earthenware vessels used to ferment Georgian wine, and then continue to the resort town of Borjomi. On subsequent days explore the medieval cave city of Vardzia and the delightful Phoka Nunnery, where the nuns make cheese and chocolate by hand, before returning to Tbilisi.

    HIGHLIGHTS

    • Traditional Megrelian cuisine, known for its adjika (pepper sauce), satsivi (spicy walnut chicken), and ghomi (a dish resembling polenta)
    • Borjomi, a resort town situated on a beautiful gorge and famed for its mineral water
    • Exploring the network of hundreds of caves that make up Vardzia
    • Handcrafted chocolates, cheeses, and beeswax candles made at Phoka Nunnery
  • Days 10-13: Telavi, Signagi, Tbilisi

    Head into Georgia’s most esteemed wine region, Kakheti. In and around the charming towns of Telavi and Signagi, walk through the vineyards and sample the renowned natural wines at Pheasant’s Tears Winery; visit the estate of Alexander Chavchavadze, a 19th century aristocrat and poet who was also a groundbreaking winemaker; tour the 9th century Bodbe Monastery; and continue indulging in exceptional meals. On your final day, join a local chef on his morning rounds at Signagi’s food market before returning to Tbilisi for a visit to the Dry Bridge Market, where you can search through the handmade jewelry and crafts for a souvenir from your Georgian journey.

    HIGHLIGHTS

    • Touring, tasting, and a farm-to-table meal at Pheasant’s Tears Winery
    • The narrow streets and intricate wooden balconies of the hill town of Signagi
    • The beautifully restored mansion of Alexander Chavchavadze
    • The basilica and gardens of Bodbe Monastery
    • Local jewelry and crafts at Tbilisi’s Dry Bridge Market

Dates & Prices

Small group tour – max 16 travelers

Land tour price, per person. Based on double occupancy and minimum group size of 6 travelers.

  • 2024 Dates
    Sept 25 - Oct 7
    Tour, double occupancy
    $5,995
    Single supplement
    $1,195
  • 2025 Dates
    Sept 23 - Oct 5
    Tour, double occupancy
    $6,195
    Single supplement
    $1,250

What's Included

  • Tour Includes
    • Accommodations, as noted in the itinerary.
    • Most meals, as noted in the itinerary: 12 breakfasts, 11 lunches and 8 dinners.
    • Restaurant tips for included meals.
    • Services of experienced, English-speaking local guides, drivers and other staff, including a MIR Tour Manager.
    • Arrival/departure airport transfers. MIR will arrange for all travelers to be met on arrival and seen off on departure whether we make your airfare arrangements or not, provided you arrive and depart on the tour start/end dates in the tour start/end cities.
    • Ground transportation throughout itinerary by private coach or minibus (size of vehicle depends on group size).
    • Guided sightseeing tours and entrance fees as outlined in itinerary.
    • Special events, excursions and cultural performances per the itinerary.
    • Baggage handling where available.
    • Gratuities to local guides, drivers, porters and other service personnel.
    • Assistance booking your custom flight arrangements (on request; please note that international air fare is not included in the land tour cost).
    • Complete pre-departure electronic document that includes detailed packing suggestions, reading list links, country-specific information, maps, travel tips and more.
    • Electronic final update bulletin, with any late news, updates and important information.
  • Not Included
    • Internal airfare (internal airfare is quoted separately and is subject to change by airlines).
    • International airfare or taxes/fuel surcharges.
    • Meals not specified as included in the itinerary.
    • Alcoholic beverages, except as noted.
    • Single supplement charge, if requested or required.
    • Items of a personal nature (phone calls, email, laundry, alcohol, excess baggage, etc).
    • Gratuities to Tour Manager.
    • Expenses incurred as a result of delay, modification or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR’s control.
    • Visa fees, if required (Note: no visas are required for U.S. passport holders).
    • Travel and trip cancellation insurance.

Activity Level

Level 3: Medium

This small group tour features long days walking and standing while touring, a large amount of stair climbing with some steep steps, several long overland drives sometimes on poor quality roads, and accommodations in some cases that offer common WCs and do not have en suite shower facilities. Only those fit to travel and who are willing to accept local standards of amenities and services and the physical challenges of the program should consider joining this program. 

Travelers must be able to walk one to two miles a day, keeping up with fellow travelers, often on uneven surfaces.

There are overall shortcomings in the tourism infrastructure of these developing destinations, including some that can cause walking challenges such as unpaved sidewalks, uneven surfaces and steps, packed-dirt streets, broken pavement (streets or sidewalks), and a general absence of handrails or ramps. Some attractions are only accessible via steep staircases with tall uneven steps – in some cases, stairways are in narrow passages with limited light. Elevators are not available at touring sights, nor at some of the hotels.

Past travelers have also encountered challenges with plumbing, bureaucratic service, and availability and quality of public restrooms. 

Accommodations vary from four star properties to relatively basic and simple hotels in the more remote parts of the countryside.

 

Traveler Reviews

  • "It was a great trip. I’m trying to figure out how to return and sketch the architecture, cook the delicious food I sampled, and learn more about the history. Georgia has everything I look for in a trip: architecture, food, landscape, people, music, wine, and a fascinating history."

    L. Hamlin

    Brookline, MA

  • "This is one of the best organized tours. It was beyond what I expected, especially the access to so many family vineyards and the meals that were prepared by their families. A highlight of the meals … was the polyphonic music at some of the suppers. I felt we experienced the best of Georgia."

    L. Moriarty

    Kapaa, HI

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