Kakheti wine region
Kakheti is Georgia's main wine region: the wide Alazani Valley in the east of the country, with the Caucasus along its northern edge. People come for the wine first. Many cellars here still make it in qvevri, clay vessels buried in the ground, a method on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage. They stay for Sighnaghi, the walled hilltop town above the valley, the Chavchavadze estate at Tsinandali, Kvareli at the foot of the Caucasus, the beech forests of Lagodekhi and, out in the semi-desert to the south, the cave monastery of David Gareja.
The best months are May and June, and September and October, when the grape harvest, rtveli, fills the villages. Summer in the valley is hot.
Most visitors come on a one-day wine tour from Tbilisi: Bodbe and Sighnaghi in the morning, a cellar near Telavi in the afternoon, back in the city by evening. Others stay a night or two in Sighnaghi or Telavi, or stop in Kakheti on the way from Tbilisi airport. David Gareja is usually a day of its own: the last stretch is unpaved, so we send a car suited to it.
Your driver does the driving, so everyone can taste. You choose the cellar, and tastings are paid on the spot. Before you book, you see your driver, the car and one fixed price for the whole car.
Day trips from 190 ₾ per carTransfers from 155 ₾ per car
Places to go
1–2 daysTelavi
The heart of Kakheti wine country, under the Tsivgombori range.
2 h from TbilisiViewfrom170 ₾
1–2 daysSighnaghi
The hilltop 'city of love' above the Alazani valley, ringed by walls.
2 h from TbilisiViewfrom190 ₾
1 dayDavid Gareja Monastery
A monastery cut into the rock of a semi-desert ridge on the Azerbaijani border, with centuries-old frescoes.
2 h from TbilisiViewfrom190 ₾
1–2 daysKvareli
Wine tunnels in the rock and the Lopota lake valley — Kakheti at its greenest.
2 h 30 min from TbilisiViewfrom240 ₾
1 dayTsinandali
The Chavchavadze estate: a historic winery, gardens and Kakheti's noble past.
2 h 15 min from TbilisiViewfrom190 ₾
1–2 daysLagodekhi
Georgia's oldest reserve: beech forest, waterfalls, and a long climb to the Black Rock lake.
3 h from TbilisiViewfrom245 ₾
Tours that go there
David Gareja cave monastery
Through Udabno and across the steppe to David Gareja, a sixth-century cave monastery on the Azerbaijan border.
From Tbilisi200 km · 4 h 50 min drivingViewfrom190 ₾
Kakheti Wine Tour: Sighnaghi, Bodbe, Telavi
Bodbe Monastery above the Alazani Valley, the walled town of Sighnaghi, and wine cellars around Telavi where qvevri wine is still made.
From Tbilisi309 km · 5 h 10 min drivingViewfrom245 ₾
Transfers there
From the airports
From Tbilisi
- Tbilisi → Sighnaghifrom 190 ₾
- Tbilisi → Telavifrom 170 ₾
- Tbilisi → Tsinandalifrom 190 ₾
- Tbilisi → Kvarelifrom 240 ₾
- Tbilisi → David Gareja Monasteryfrom 190 ₾
From other places
- Telavi → Sighnaghifrom 165 ₾
- Sighnaghi → Telavifrom 170 ₾
Show all 13 transfers
From Tbilisi
- Tbilisi → Lagodekhifrom 245 ₾
Questions
- Can I see Sighnaghi and Telavi in one day from Tbilisi?
- Yes. The Kakheti wine tour visits Bodbe Monastery, Sighnaghi and the cellars around Telavi in one day and brings you back to Tbilisi in the evening. An early start makes the day easier.
- Can we stop at wineries on the way?
- Yes. On the wine tour you choose the cellar, and your driver won't steer you to a particular one. On a transfer, add a winery as a stop when you book: the stop is free, and you pay only for any extra distance.
- Who drives if we are tasting wine?
- Your driver, so everyone in your group can taste. Tastings are paid on the spot, at the cellar.
- Can an ordinary car reach David Gareja?
- The last stretch to the monastery is unpaved, so we send a car suited to it. The monastery is usually a day trip of its own from Tbilisi.
- When is the best time to visit Kakheti?
- May and June, and September and October, when the grape harvest (rtveli) is on. Summer is hot in the valley, and hotter still in the semi-desert around David Gareja.
- Can I go from Tbilisi airport straight to Kakheti?
- Yes. There are transfers from Tbilisi airport to Sighnaghi, Telavi, Tsinandali, Kvareli and Lagodekhi. Give your flight number when you book: your driver checks the landing time, and a late flight is never a no-show.