How to visit Kakheti, Georgia’s wine region

By Joan Torres 1 Comments Last updated on April 25, 2024

I grew up in a wine region, so the idea of visiting another wine region sounded appealing, but it was not the thing I was most excited about visiting in Georgia.

However, when I saw those hundreds of Soviet trucks extra loaded with tons of grapes and the many wineries still making wine in the traditional way, using their hands inside huge ceramic jars (qveries); plus the many monasteries inhabited by monks who have been producing wine for centuries.

I realized that the wine culture in Georgia is unique, and then I remembered that, according to archeological evidence, Georgia was the first country ever to produce wine. 

Welcome to Kakheti, Georgian’s wine region.

In this guide, you will learn how to visit Kakheti, including places to visit.

visit kakheti

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Why harvest season is the best time to visit Kakheti

Kakheti can be visited all year long, meaning that you will still be able to visit cellars and drink wine but, during harvest season, from September to October, you will actually see how the wine is produced and, if you go to a micro-cellar, you will see how they produce it in the traditional Georgian way, so the experience will be quite different.

By the way, Moldova is another very traditional country with a very similar wine culture, and you may want to check my travel guide to Moldova

Kamaz trucks fully loaded with grapes, one of the best things to see in Kakheti during harvest season

How to travel around Kakheti region

Kakheti is a region which is best explored by car.

I mean, you can move around by marshrutka, but many wineries and monasteries are not in the villages themselves, so reaching them can be a bit tricky, and you would need several days to make the best out of your visit. 

If you don’t have a car, perhaps you may want to join a tour.

Moreover, I strongly recommend you take the town of Sighnaghi as your base from where to visit the wine region. To be very honest, Sighnaghi is not my favorite place to visit in Kakheti but since it is the most touristic town, it is well-sorted of accommodation, bars and restaurants.

Where to stay in Sighnaghi

Budget guest house – Guest House Vista – We stayed in this lovely guest house which was run by a very accommodating local who showed us how to make homemade wine. Highly recommended.

Mid-range hotel – Boutique Hotel BelleVue – Really nice hotel with stunning views of the valley.

If you want to know more, click here to check the best accommodation in Sighnaghi

things to do in Sighhanghi
Sighnaghi, the most touristic place to visit in Kakheti

Places to visit in Kakheti in a 3-day itinerary

Technically, Tusheti and Davit Gareja belong to the region of Kakheti but I haven’t included them in this guide because they do not belong to the area where wine is produced

We visited the following places in 3 days.

On the first day, we just went to Sighnaghi, stopping in Ninotsminda. On the second day, we drove around the whole region, including Gurjaani, Telavi, Alaverdi, Artana, Gremi and Kvareli. On the third day, we went back to Tbilisi, stopping in one winery and Davit Gareja.

Interested in taking a tour to Kakheti?
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Ninotsminda (off the beaten track)

The first village we stopped at was Ninotsminda, where you find Ninotsminda Church, which has been a place of Christian worship since the 5th Century, and the half-ruined Church that still stands dates back from then.

I recommend you stop here for 15 minutes, to take a break from the journey.

How to get to Ninotsminda

Ninotsminda is a relatively big village, so I am sure there are marshrutkas coming from Sagarejo or Sighnaghi but, to be honest, unless you have your car, I am not sure that it is worth it.

Ninotsminda Church in Kakheti
Ninotsminda Church in Kakheti

Sighnaghi

The first big town coming from Azerbaijan is the walled city of Sighnaghi, commonly named as ‘’the City of Love’’ by the locals, a European-like town with its hilly cobbled streets and set up, so different from anything you have seen in Georgia.

Sighnaghi Georgia
Visiting Sighnaghi is one of the best things to do in Kakheti

Located high on the hill that rises from the flat Alazani Valley, with the Caucasian mountains of Dagestan in the background, Sighnaghi is a truly postcard town.

It is so pretty, but you also need to remember that this is a very touristic town, where you can even find a Mexican restaurant and actually, some people working in the different businesses are not very welcoming precisely.

We had a few bad experiences, like when the lady of a café brought me a cappuccino which was cold because she poured milk directly from the fridge but then, very rudely, she refused to change. Stuff like that.

To be honest, after checking out the few viewpoints, I found Sighnaghi very boring and, despite being a popular day trip from Tbilisi, I would prefer going somewhere else.

However, we spent 2 nights here because it is a great base to explore the region, plus it is the only place with a relatively nice atmosphere in the evening.

Is Kakheti worth the day trip or not? – Well, it depends. Are you coming by yourself in a marshrutka? Then, it is not because, in only one day, you will be able to visit Sighnaghi and, in my opinion, there are other places in Georgia which are far more interesting, starting with Davit Gareja or Chiatura. Nevertheless, if you have a car (or you are going on a tour) and plan to visit several places across the region, then yes, a day trip to Kakheti is worth it.

Things to do in Sighnaghi

Where to eat in Sighnaghi

Pheasant’s Tears – The most famous restaurant in Sighnaghi is also a winery. It is a bit pricey but they have good food. You need to book in advance. 

How to get to Sighnaghi

Marshrutkas leave from Ortachala Station in Tbilisi all day long.

places to visit in Kakheti
This is Sighnaghi

Gurjaani Kvelatsminda Church (off the beaten track)

If you go north after leaving Sighnaghi, after 30km, you find Gurjaani, famous for having the only ancient double-domed church in Georgia, from the 8th century.

The church is located out of town, and you need to walk for 10 minutes from where you leave the car.

The priests living there were surprisingly welcoming, more than any other church we have been to.

How to get to Gurjaani

You may find marshrutkas going to Gurjaani but then is a really good walk to the church.

Gurjaani Kvelatsminda Church kakheti
Gurjaani Kvelatsminda Church

Telavi

Telavi is the largest city in Kakheti (but only 28,000 inhabitants) and today’s regional capital. 
What I like about it is that it has a very local vibe, but it is not as charming as other towns and villages. 

However, I didn’t visit it much, but we just passed it through in our first visit, and then, on my second visit, I just came here to find transportation to Tusheti. 

If you have time to visit it, then great but, otherwise, I don’t think it is worth the trip, even though I believe it could also serve as a great base to travel around Kakheti.

How to get to Telavi

You find direct marshrutkas from Tbilisi and, definitely, from all surrounding towns.

Alaverdi

Alaverdi is known for having the Cathedral of Saint George, an impressive church surrounded by dreamy vineyards, which contains one of the oldest wineries in Georgia, whose brand has been sold since the 11th century, even though they have been producing wine since the 5th.

Here, the priests make the wine most traditionally but remember that, if you want to visit the ”wine” part, you need to book in advance. This is their very confusing website.

On the other hand, the Cathedral can be visited at any time, and it contains some impressive frescoes from the 11th century.

Don’t miss Alaverdi in your Kakheti itinerary.

How to get to Alaverdi

I am sure you can come here from Telavi but, in any case, the monastery is a bit out of town.

Interested in booking a wine tour?
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

Alaverdi, Kakheti
Alaverdi, Kakheti, one of the most popular places to visit in Kakheti

Artana (off the beaten track)

When we visited Kakheti, we had something very clear, and that was that we wanted to visit a traditional wine cellar. We had no idea where to find it, but we just kept driving, stopping in the most random villages, until we found Artana.

Artana is a tiny village with absolutely nothing to see, but 1 or 2 cellars which are definitely worth stopping for, as they still produce wine in qveris and do pretty much everything by hand. 

what to visit in Kakheti
Qveries – Photo made by my father @robintownsendphoto

Those micro wine cellars sell actual branded organic wine, pretty good, not like the industrial crap – as my Georgian friend says – that popular wineries sell.

Since we visited Kakheti during harvest season, we were extremely lucky to visit a cellar right during the production process.

We saw how they manually put the grapes in a small machine that shreds them (but they still need to keep making pressure with their hands) and then put them in the qveris

That winery belonged to some guys from Tbilisi, and they allowed us to enter and observe how they do all the process, and even invited us to have some wine.

Visiting this micro-winery was by far, the best things we did in Kakheti.

How to find the right, traditional wine cellar
If you want to find one of those micro-wineries that make wine in the traditional way, go to random villages. We entered a couple, but the one we had the best experience was at the one in Artana I told you about before. Just remember that the famous ones don’t traditionally make wine anymore, plus they are filled with tourists.

Traditional wine making – Photo made by my father @robintownsendphoto

Gremi

With its turquoise roof and its patterned mud-brick, the Citadel of Gremi is the perfect example of adapting a church to the Persian style of architecture, like most mosques you find in Iran.

Gremi, today a tiny village from the Kakheti region, used to be the capital of Kakheti until it was invaded and destroyed by the Persians in the 17th century.

By the way, very close to the church, where you leave the car, there is a restaurant run by an old lady serving all types of traditional food. We ate there and had a great time. 

Gremi, Kakheti
Gremi Citadel

Kvareli

I don’t recommend it

The only thing I will say here is that Kvareli is home to the largest and most visited wineries in Kakheti: Khareba and Kindzmarauli. 

These two wineries are, basically, monster corporations that produce wine in mass production. Like my Georgian friend says, they sell chemical crap.

Moreover, the visiting areas tend to be absolutely packed with tourists, so if you ever try to book a tour to Kakheti, make sure they don’t take you to either of these wineries. 

On the other hand, Kvareli also became famous when former Georgian President Saakashvili bought a house here. Hence it became a prime tourist spot among locals and wealthy Russians.

Because of this, I believe that there must be some good restaurants and fancy accommodation, but in any case, this is not what you came to Kakheti for.

More information for visiting Kakheti

📢 In my Travel Resources Page you can find the list of all the sites and services I use to book hotels, tours, travel insurance and more.

Don’t forget to check our travel guide to Georgia.

As well as all our Georgia articles:

things to do in kakheti

One reply on “How to visit Kakheti, Georgia’s wine region”

I stayed in Tbilisi and visited Kazbegi in Georgia, but now I regret not seeing Kakheti! Georgian wine is something special. Thanks for sharing

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