Georgia

Georgia: Wine-Growing Kakheti

When

Sept to Oct

Price

From 1 700€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

4 nights

Ideal length

1 / 7

Kakheti, a wine region in eastern Georgia, has according to archaeological evidence produced wine continuously for over eight thousand years, a precedence that makes the country the recognised birthplace of winemaking worldwide, predating French or Italian wine traditions by several millennia. The traditional qvevri method, a giant clay jar buried underground in which the grapes ferment with their skins and seeds for several months, is still practised today by hundreds of winemaking families and was inscribed in 2013 on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Eight Thousand Years of Winemaking Tradition

Pottery fragments recovered from Kakhetian archaeological sites and analysed in 2017 revealed tartaric acid residues dating back over eight thousand years, making Georgia the world's oldest known site of continuous winemaking, a discovery that redefines global wine history. The region today counts more than five hundred recorded native grape varieties, an exceptional genetic heritage largely preserved by the country's relative isolation during the Soviet period, which prevented the varietal standardisation experienced by most other winemaking regions worldwide.

The Qvevri, an Ancestral Method UNESCO Listed

The qvevri, an egg-shaped clay jar that can hold up to several thousand litres, is crafted using artisanal techniques passed down through generations, then buried underground where the soil's constant temperature allows the grapes, skins and seeds included, to ferment naturally over several months or even years. This method, inscribed in 2013 on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, produces distinctive amber wines with pronounced tannins, radically different from Western wines and today sought after by a new generation of natural wine enthusiasts around the world.

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Where to rest your head

A Winemaker's House in Sighnaghi

A renovated winemaker's house in the fortified town of Sighnaghi, a traditional qvevri cellar, within walking distance of the ramparts and surrounding vineyards.