Old Tbilisi, Georgia

Georgia Has Been Making Wine in Clay Pots for 8,000 Years and This Is the Best Place to Drink It

The qvevri – large terracotta vessels buried in the earth for temperature regulation, used to ferment and age wine – are the oldest wine vessels in continuous use anywhere on earth. Georgia’s claim to be the birthplace of wine is better documented archaeologically than any other country’s claim, with evidence from sites in the Caucasus dating back 8,000 years, and the qvevri tradition was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013. In June 2026, WinExpo Georgia – the country’s biggest professional wine trade fair – ran at ExpoGeorgia in Tbilisi, reflecting the growing international attention this wine culture is receiving. Visits timed around the September Rtveli grape harvest in Kakheti, when winemakers ceremonially open their qvevri, offer the most vivid engagement with the tradition.

The amber wines – white grapes fermented with extended skin contact in qvevri – have a tannin structure and texture that Western wine drinkers find genuinely surprising on first encounter. Sulico in the Vera district, Bina N37 (a rooftop bar with qvevri buried in a repurposed swimming pool), and Vino Underground in a brick-lined cellar are the right starting points.

The Old Town

Old Tbilisi is built into hills above the Mtkvari River, the lanes narrow and steep, carved wooden balconies leaning over the street at improbable angles. The sulfur baths at Abanotubani occupy the lower hillside in a cluster of buildings with distinctive domed roofs; the springs beneath them run at about 40 degrees Celsius year-round and have been in use since the 5th century. Taking a private sulfur bath here – the correct use of an afternoon – costs a fraction of anything comparable in Western Europe.

Narikala Fortress above the baths dates to the 4th century and has been rebuilt and modified by Arabs, Mongols, Persians, and eventually Russians across fifteen centuries. The cable car from Rike Park rises to the fortress and continues to Kartlis Deda – the 20-metre aluminium statue of the Mother of Georgia, holding a sword in one hand and a bowl of wine in the other, visible from much of the city. The combination of the fortress walls, the rooflines below, and the Caucasus mountain backdrop is the defining view of Tbilisi, and it is free to walk to.

Sioni Cathedral has been the principal Georgian Orthodox church in the city since the 7th century; the current building dates from the 11th. The interior carries centuries of accumulated icons; the atmosphere is active worship rather than museum-style observation.

Food

Khinkali are the dumplings that define Tbilisi food culture: twisted pockets of dough filled with spiced meat (or mushroom, potato, or cheese), served boiling hot. The technique: hold the twisted knob, bite a small hole, sip the broth inside first, then eat the dumpling, and discard the knob. Georgians count discarded knobs to track who ate how many. Adjarian khachapuri – boat-shaped, with melted suluguni cheese and a raw egg cracked on top – is the most photographed version of Georgia’s most beloved dish. It is also very good.

Churchkhela – grape juice and walnut sausages dried on strings – are sold everywhere and taste better than they look. A full dinner with wine at a mid-range restaurant in the Vera or Sololaki neighbourhoods costs 40 to 80 GEL, around USD 14 to 28 at current exchange rates.

Practical Notes

The Bolt app is the reliable way to get taxis without negotiation. The Tbilisi metro covers central attractions efficiently; a Metromoney card works on metro, buses, and the Narikala cable car. May through June and September through October are the most comfortable months, with temperatures between 18 and 26 degrees Celsius. July and August peak at 35 degrees or above.

The Vera and Sololaki neighbourhoods have better restaurants and wine bars at lower prices than the main tourist corridor in the Old Town. Most visitors staying in the centre are a 15-minute walk from both.