Destination Guide
The Caucasus republic, not the American state — a country of stone watchtowers, a wine region older than most, and mountains that close roads without apology.
Tbilisi sits in a valley on the Mtkvari River, its old town a mix of Persian, Ottoman, and Soviet-era layers that rarely resolve into a single style — which is more or less the point. Kakheti, the wine region east of the capital, has been producing wine in buried clay vessels called qvevri for a method that predates most of what is now called natural winemaking by thousands of years.
Svaneti, in the northwest, is reached by a mountain road that closes for weather without much notice — the stone defensive towers that give the region its look were built for exactly the isolation that still applies today. Kazbegi, closer to Tbilisi, offers a shorter version of the same high-Caucasus scenery for travelers without the time for Svaneti's longer drive. The Azerbaijani side of the same range — Khinalug, Gabala, Naftalan — is mapped, with prices, in Wellness Retreats in Azerbaijan.
The name causes confusion at airport check-in counters worldwide; it refers here to the country, not the state of the same name.
The long table. In Georgia the supra, a feast led by a tamada, a toastmaster, turns dinner into hours of company, with walnut and herb dishes from Kakheti and bread from the tone oven. The habit is not the feast; it is staying at the table.
At home in Ontario. One shared weekly slot, with the same people each time: a long dinner, a walk or a class.
Weighing a trip like this? Start with a Free Introduction · 20 minutes. No obligation. → Or start with Eight Questions Before You Book.
Explore the Alpine–Himalayan mountain belt, local cultures and hospitality in Edition I, with regional comparisons, anthropology and a linked reading list.
Cover photo: Pexels.