Eating Georgia
The country not the state
One of the best ways to get to know any country is through its food. The word for a Georgian meal is supra, which is best translated as “feast”. Hospitality in Georgia is generous and food wildly abundant.
Let us take you on a journey to discover the food, wine, culture and history of this remarkable country.
There are breads filled with cheese, beans and meat, chicken with pomegranate, grilled trout and kebabs, and juicy dumplings stuffed with all manner of tasty things. And there is always more. Tart tkemali plum sauce, kharcho stews, spicy adjika pastes, khachapuri, vegetable pkhali, blue fenugreek, marigold – it’s a whole new culinary vocabulary.
Georgia is also one of the world’s oldest wine regions dating back over 8000 years. The tradition fermenting of grape juice in clay vessels, known as qvevris, has made it onto UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. There are said to be over 500 indigenous grape varieties.
Food and wine are the main draws for Georgia, but hardly the only one. The Greater Caucasus are stunning, dotted with picturesque villages and ancient churches. The country was also one of the world’s first to adopt Christianity, in 337 A.D.
And then there’s Tbilisi, a city that has been sacked 27 times but emerged as a distinctively cosmopolitan place with contemporary architecture mixed in with the historic buildings, a rich café culture and a mushrooming wine bar scene.
The late Anthony Bourdain visited Georgia with his Parts Unknown series and had this to say about the food:
“I’m quickly finding that the cuisine here is really good, really complex with sweet-sour notes that are reminiscent of — I don’t know.
I just know it feels hauntingly familiar yet utterly new and delicious.”
We start in Tbilisi, the vibrant capital, then venture throughout the country stopping at markets and vineyards along with a side of history and culture.
We take a day trip east to the Kakheti wine region, where we visit the picturesque town of Sighnaghi, known as the “City of Love”.
We then travel west to the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, staying overnight in a hotel within grounds of the 9th century Rabati Fortress in the small town of Akhaltsikhe.
Our adventure continues in the central Kartli region, where we spend two nights at a guesthouse on a working vineyard nestled in the beautiful Ateni Valley.
Each evening Janice and Sue will take you to a carefully selected restaurant for dinner and lively conversation.
Eating Georgia is a 10 day/9 night tour for 8 guests.
Tour dates
2025
18 – 27 May – sold out
1 – 10 June – sold out
7 – 16 September – 5 spots
21 – 30 September
$NZ5695 per person – double occupancy
from $NZ5995 per person – single occupancy
2026
10 – 19 May
24 May – 2 June
from NZ$6295 per person – double occupancy
from NZ$6695 per person – single occupancy
* 2026 prices to be confirmed September 2025
*guaranteed tour departure is subject to minimum of 6 people
