Kakheti winemaking

Kakheti is one of the most important wine producing regions in Georgia with Telawi as it capital.

Tsinandali, where the world famous wine is made. One of the foreign tourist shared in his blog an experience of travelling across the region with couple of her friends. At Nikolaishvili's vinery (also listed in the Lonely planet), they just knocked at the gates to get some information about the wine and maybe buy some. Instead, the owner (a former wrestler, and he did ineed looked very sporty) came and greeted them with wine and told all about the process of winemaking.

'Lucky for us, we had met a Polish couple a few hours before and one of the girls spoke Russian, so she acted as an interpreter for us. Whenever our glasses were empty, our host filled them and made a little speech and a toast. To world peace, for us girls to find Georgian husbands, for Georgia to become an EU member and once more to world peace!

Ere long, we sat at a table that was full of food (after we were asked, whether we might like a bite to eat). And the wine kept coming. And what wine! Organically made, unfiltered, no additives. Strong, fruity, hearty wine - and nothing like I have ever tasted before. All the food on the table was produced on the premises and you could really taste it.

When we were so drunk that we couldn't drink no more, we were offered to stay for the night, as apparently, they also take in guests, but as we already had arrangements, our host (who had been drinking more than any of us and was still sober, or so it seemed), called a taxi and we got home safely.

This experience, tasting real natural wine and real natural food while sitting in a beautiful garden, was unforgettable, as well as the headache the day after...'