Kakheti Wine Tour: Monasteries, Sighnaghi & Telavi

Georgian wine tastes different when you learn how it's made in the clay vessels buried underground.

A nine-hour tour through Kakheti, Georgia's wine region, with a live guide visiting Bodbe Monastery, the hilltop town of Sighnaghi, a family winery for traditional qvevri wine tasting, and Telavi's historical center. The day includes cheese, honey, churchkhela and breadmaking tastings alongside the wine; a guide in English or Russian leads the group through monasteries, fortress walls and markets.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Kakheti's monasteries and vineyards

• Visit Bodbe Monastery and gardens
• Walk Sighnaghi town and city walls
• Taste wines at local family winery
• Discover Telavi's historic sites and market

The Experience

Bodbe Monastery opens the morning—a 4th-century complex where Saint Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia, is buried. The grounds sit above the Alazani Valley with cypress trees and flower gardens framing views of the Caucasus Mountains. From there, the route climbs to Sighnaghi, a hilltop town ringed by 18th-century fortress walls that stretch nearly four kilometers with over twenty watchtowers. The cobblestone streets and 19th-century balconies face the same valley views; the town earned its nickname "City of Love" for the romance of the setting.

The centerpiece is a local family winery where you taste wines made in the traditional qvevri method—large clay vessels buried in the ground where fermentation happens without temperature control or added ingredients. This is how Georgians have made wine for thousands of years, and tasting it at the source shows why the technique survives. Alongside the wine come cheese, honey and churchkhela (grape juice paste wrapped in nuts) tastings, and a breadmaking masterclass where you learn to shape and bake Georgian bread.

Telavi, Kakheti's capital, closes the day. The town centers on a giant plane tree over 900 years old, one of Georgia's oldest living things, and holds the palace of King Erekle II and a working market where daily life moves at its own pace. A guide in English or Russian ties the stops together, explaining what you are standing in front of and how the region's wine, faith and history connect. The full day runs nine hours.

What’s included

• Wine tasting at a family winery using the traditional qvevri method.
• cheese, honey and churchkhela tastings.
• a breadmaking masterclass.
• entry to Bodbe Monastery and its gardens.
• a live guide in English or Russian throughout the nine-hour day.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Day Travel To Georgia

Is this one for you?Spend a day moving between a working family winery, an ancient monastery, a fortress town and a market—tasting Georgian wine while a guide connects what you're seeing to the region's landscape, faith and daily rhythms.

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Top questions

What is the qvevri method and why does it matter for Georgian wine?

The qvevri method uses large clay vessels buried underground where grapes ferment naturally without temperature control or additives—it is how Georgians have made wine for thousands of years, and tasting wine made this way at a family winery shows the technique in practice.

What can I see from Sighnaghi's fortress walls?

The 18th-century walls stretch nearly four kilometers with over twenty watchtowers and offer panoramic views of the Alazani Valley and the Caucasus Mountains; the hilltop town itself has cobblestone streets and 19th-century balconies.

Who was Saint Nino and why is Bodbe Monastery important?

Saint Nino was a 4th-century woman who brought Christianity to Georgia; Bodbe Monastery is her burial place and one of Georgia's most important religious sites, set in gardens with cypress trees and views over the Alazani Valley.

What food and drink tastings are included in the tour?

The tour includes wine tasting at a local family winery, plus cheese, honey and churchkhela tastings; you also take part in a breadmaking masterclass where you learn to shape and bake Georgian bread.

Is there time to explore Telavi's market and historical sites?

Yes—Telavi, Kakheti's capital, is the final stop and features the palace of King Erekle II, a vibrant market, and a giant plane tree over 900 years old standing in the town center.