Sighnaghi, Telavi, Alazani valley

Kakheti

Wine country under the Caucasus, under two hours from Tbilisi.

Best time: Harvest in September-October; green and warm April-June.
From Tbilisi: 1 h 45 min, 110 km

Kakheti is where Georgia's eight thousand years of winemaking are easiest to taste: family cellars with qvevri buried in the floor, large estates with tasting rooms, and monasteries and castles in between. The Alazani valley runs along the foot of the Caucasus, with the snow peaks in view most of the year.

Sighnaghi, the walled town on the hill, and Telavi, the regional capital, are each under two hours from Tbilisi. A full day with a driver lets you link both with two or three wineries and be back in the city for dinner.

Don't miss

Sighnaghi
Pastel houses, 18th-century walls and a terrace view over the whole valley.
Bodbe Monastery
The resting place of St Nino, in cypress gardens two kilometres from Sighnaghi.
Tsinandali and Alaverdi
The Chavchavadze estate and the great 11th-century cathedral near Telavi.
The wineries
From Kvareli and Kindzmarauli to small cellars in Kisiskhevi, tastings are best booked a day ahead.