Kakheti, in Georgia's far east, is the country's main wine region: a wide valley of vineyards along the Alazani river with the Greater Caucasus behind it. It is 1.5–2.5 hours from Tbilisi by road, so most visitors see it on a day trip. This guide covers what makes the wine different, how old the tradition really is, and how to choose between the two classic routes.
What qvevri wine is
A qvevri is a large egg-shaped clay jar, lined with beeswax and buried up to its neck in the floor of a cellar (a marani). Grapes are crushed into it and ferment there, often with their skins and sometimes the stems, then the jar is sealed for months. White grapes made this way, such as Rkatsiteli, come out amber in colour and dry, with some grip from the skins; the main red grape is Saperavi. Georgian qvevri winemaking has been on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2013, and Kakheti is where it is strongest today: many village families still make their own wine in qvevri.
How old is Georgian wine?
Very old, but not in the way it is often told. The oldest traces of grape wine found so far, from around 6000 BC, come from pottery jars at two Neolithic villages, Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora, in Kvemo Kartli about 50 km south of Tbilisi. They were not found in Kakheti and not in qvevri. Kakheti's claim is a different one: it is where the buried-qvevri tradition has carried on in almost every village.
Sighnaghi or Telavi?
A day in Kakheti usually follows one of two routes, and doing both in one day is possible but long.
- The Sighnaghi side (about 110 km, 1.5–2 hours): Bodbe convent, where St Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia, is buried; then Sighnaghi, a hill town inside walls built in 1762, with views across the Alazani Valley to the mountains. Stay for the evening light if you can.
- The Telavi side (over the Gombori pass, about 2–2.5 hours): Telavi, the old seat of the Kakhetian kings; the Tsinandali estate of the Chavchavadze family, whose 1830s winery and wine library hold bottles back to 1814; and Alaverdi cathedral, an 11th-century church about 50 m tall. The Tsinandali house-museum is closed on Mondays.
Sighnaghi and Telavi are about 1.5 hours apart, so a day that combines them has little time left for tasting.
When to go
Kakheti works all year. The grape harvest, Rtveli, runs from late August into October and is the busiest and most atmospheric time; in 2026 it began on 10 September. Spring brings green vineyards and fewer visitors, and winter is quiet but the cellars are open.
How tastings work
- Family cellars pour from the qvevri or from bottles of their own wine, often with bread, cheese and churchkhela. Larger estates, such as Tsinandali, run set tastings.
- Expect to be offered chacha, the grape spirit. It is fine to say no, but say so early.
- At a Georgian table the tamada (toastmaster) leads the toasts. Wait for a toast before you drink; "Gaumarjos!" means cheers.
- Nobody should drive after a day of tastings, which is the main reason most visitors go with a driver.
Seeing Kakheti with us
Our private Kakheti wine day trip from Tbilisi covers Sighnaghi, Bodbe and a tasting at Tsinandali in one 9–12 hour day, in your own car with a driver-guide. If you have more time, the 3-day Kakheti wine tour adds two nights in wine country, tastings at family cellars that still ferment in qvevri, and a supra feast with local hosts. Both are private, and there is nothing to pay until we confirm your dates. For other trips out of the city, see day trips from Tbilisi.
