Group Tour to Kakheti
Kakheti is the cradle of wine. Wine-making tradition here dates back to 6000 BC. The traditional method of making wine – in clay pots called qvevri – is still used and makes very unique flavored wines. The art of making qvevri is passed down generations and is UNESCO heritage. Step in the world of the oldest XVI century Numisi wine cellar located in the small village of Velistsikhe, Kakheti region. The cellar is built in ancient classical architecture with white river stones and bricks. Next stop will be at a unique wine cellar Khareba located in the tunnel carved out of the rock. is a large and unique Georgian winery offering tours and tastings conducted inside long manmade tunnels lined with wine. Visitors can have a unique experience tasting Khareba wines in a tunnel. After tasting many different varieties of Georgian wines it’s time to take a tour in the nature and visit Nekresi monastery in the middle of mountain covered with beautiful forest.
TOUR ITINERARY
1 DAY Group Tour to Kakheti
At 9:00am you will be met by our driver and guide at your hotel to start the group tour to Kakheti, the cradle of Georgian wine.
Visit Numisi a family cellar in the small village of Velistsikhe during the Group Tour to Kakheti
Tour starts with visiting Marani&Museum in Velistsikhe, Gurjaani-An Amazing Destination For History And Wine Lovers. Wine tourism is developing day by day in Kakheti. Family wineries-Maranis have become more popular recently. Numisi-a family marani in the small village of Velistsikhe, Gurjaani is unique not only in Kakheti but in Georgia as it dates back to XVI century.The history of the winery started years ago when Nunu’s neighbor donated the land to her which used to be a landfill. While cleaning the area they found the ruins of old marani with qvevris. They are kept in Numisi today. Nunu and Misha restored the ancient winery at their own expenses and now stepping in the world of the oldest XVI century Numisi Museum& Marani you will find yourself in the ancient Georgia. The three-storey building is built in ancient classical architecture with white river stones and bricks where there is an amazing combination of winery, museum and a restaurant. As Nunu says, years ago she couldn’t imagine Numisi would become a tourism center. Today they receive 15 000 tourists a year from all over the world.
The next stop is Winery Khareba also called as Tunnel
Tunnel consists of 2 main and 13 interconnecting 500 meter tunnels. The total length of the construction is 7.7 kilometers. There are two purposes of the tunnel : Tourism and winemaking. The visitor can see more than 25 000 bottles of Winery Khareba premium wines aging there and buy some of them available at unique and amazing inside shop. As a matter of fact, in 2011, Winery Khareba has developed a wine touristic infrastructure around the tunnel: a large recreational park with river and old Qvevris, a beautiful old georgian style water mill, a traditional georgian bread bakery in “Tones” (clay ovens), Chacha distillation, a traditional press called “Satsnakheli”, a trout-filled lake, “Patskhas” lodges (small traditional houses) and a very large and typical stone fire grill. Guests are provided with the opportunity to taste more than 40 kinds of Winery Khareba wines, bake their own bread, participate to Chacha making process, prepare “Churchkhela” (sweet peanuts and wine made georgian snack) on the “Mtsvadi” (local name for BBQ), participate to harvest and foot pressing. Touristic complex also includes premium class restaurant “Saperavi”, which is located in the mountain and is connected to the tunnel accessible by elevator. Restaurant can accommodate 300 guests and offers ther best Georgian cuisine. The restaurant harmoniously confluents with nature (there is a waterfall next to it), a beautiful garden with perennial trees, a mountain river, tower and veranda, from where pictures can be taken with open view on Alazani Valley and Kvareli vineyards.
After tasting many different varieties of Georgian wines and getting known to it’s traditional way of making it’s time to take a tour in the nature and visit Nekresi monastery in the middle of mountain covered with beautiful forest.
Nekresi Monastery which has survived in Alazani river valley consists of several cult structures of different times. The earliest one is a small church built in the early 4 th century. It was built soon after the declaration of Christianity the official religion of the country. The church was laid from roughly cut stones and stands on the foundation transformed into a tomb. In the 6 th – 7 th centuries the main temple of the Mother of God which has saved some fragments of the wall paintings and frescos of the 16 th century was erected there. The complex also included a square domical church (the 9 th century) and the Episcopal palace of the 16 th century.
Transfer back to your hotel
Includes/Excludes
Cost Includes
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Fuel surcharge
- Certified guide service
- Transportation service with Minivan
- Hotel Pick-up and drop-off service included
Cost Excludes
- Wine sampling in Numisi wine cellar
- Wine sampling in Khareba wine cellar