In the second season of the hit Apple TV series Drops of God, the high-stakes search for the “best wine ever tasted” leads protagonists Camille and Issei to the rugged landscapes and ancient cellars of Georgia (The country!). While the plot centers on the elusive Herbemont grape – a rare variety once banned in France – the true star of episodes 3 and 4 is the Georgian wine culture itself.
While the show’s narrative about Herbemont being a lost Georgian treasure is fictional (it is actually a North American hybrid that has no record of cultivation in Georgia at all!), the filming locations, the history of the qvevri, and the spirit of the supra are very much real. This guide bridges the gap between television drama and the authentic magic of Georgian wine culture and history with suggestions on visiting for yourself!
If you are interested in joining a “Drops of God Georgia Tour” then express your interest by emailing us [email protected] – we’ll explore some of the locations from the show, the Supra (feast), Georgian wine culture, and some amazing wines & wineries that are not featured.
Drops of God S2E3 “The Origin”: The Journey into Kartli (Georgia)
The quest begins in the capital, Tbilisi, before heading west into the historic valley of Ateni (PDO). The Kartli region is a hidden gem, often overshadowed by the famous Kakheti wine region to the East, yet it produces rare grapes (like chinuri, goruli mtsvane, tavkveri, shavkapito) that are even more unique to international palates than the more known Kakhetian rkatsiteli and Saperavi.
In order of their appearance, the following locations from Drops of God Season 2 Episode 3:
- Tabor Monastery of the Transfiguration: The episode opens with a breathtaking Tbilisi panorama from this viewpoint. You can walk or drive up here for one of the city’s best vistas.
- Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace: Camille and Issei’s home base in the city, featuring the hotel lobby and breakfast buffet seen in early scenes – the lobby and then for breakfast, but they return here in later scenes as well.
- The Scenic Route to Gori: After meeting their driver, Gotcha, they head toward Mtatsminda and Kojori. While scenic, this mountain road isn’t the typical way to Gori at all, but it makes for a beautiful shot!
- Gori Bridge: They cross the bridge over the Mtkvari River just south of Gori, with a brief mention of the city being Stalin’s birthplace.
- Ateni Valley: The drive continues along the Ateni road into the mountains.
- Ateni Sioni Church Vineyards: They meet a monk in the vineyards of this 7th-century church. He isn’t happy to see them, and the only grapes they find are Saperavi (which, funnily enough, barely grows in this region at all). While the Ateni church does actually have vineyards, which is where they filmed, they do not make wine every year and they do not typically sell wine.
- (Ed) I’m a good personal friend with a winemaker locally who is the brother of one of the monks of the church. If you want to taste local wines, we would taste wines with the monk’s brother at the family home.
- The Supra (The Georgian Feast): Searching for lunch, the pair is invited by a local motorcyclist to a supra. In a typical courtyard, they enjoy wine from small glasses accompanied by polyphonic singing and drums. While this specific courtyard was a film set, it perfectly captures the local vibe. In Georgia, the saying goes: “If you come as a friend, we give you wine; if you come as an enemy, we give you the sword!”
- Hotel Bursa: Exhausted, they head to Hotel Bursa. In reality, this hotel is actually in Kakheti (near Kvareli). The scene where the receptionist suggests a gas station for breakfast is a classic Georgian touch – locals aren’t always early risers, and service often starts after 9:30 AM!
- The Discovery: In the morning, they walk across a tiny bridge to a small vineyard with overhead trellis (typical to this region). They see red grapes (likely the local Tavkveri grapes) and believe they’ve found the Herbemont.
- Tamar’s Marani: After drama involving Tamar’s husband, she finally takes them to her secret marani (wine cellar). While the village walk is real, the cellar itself was a constructed film set. We learn Tamar’s father may have trained with Rudolf Steiner, the father of biodynamics, explaining her wine’s brilliance. As I am informed, the monks at Sioni Church did not want the film crew to film their marani.
- Nika Vacheishvili’s Guest House: The stunning terrace with the panoramic view where they finally taste the wine is a real location in Ateni and a must-visit for any wine enthusiast far along the remote Ateni valley.
- Back to Tbilisi: Seeking legal help, Camille visits a fancy city-center building. The angle/view of Dinamo Stadium in the distance through the window suggests this was (possibly) filmed inside the Biltmore Hotel.
- The Villain’s Table: Camille tracks Davit Abushidze to a restaurant. The sommelier suggests a 2020 Kisi from Giorgi Aladashvili (who runs the real-life biodynamic.ge winery in Ruispiri, Kakheti). This was filmed at the Ostigan Restaurant in the Paragraph Hotel.
- Pushkin Square: After the confrontation, Camille exits into the evening of Pushkin Park / Freedom Square.
Drops of God S2E4 “Brother & Sister”: Taking The Herbemont
- A Morning in Ateni: The episode opens with the morning light hitting Ateni Sioni. Over breakfast with Tamar, Camille enjoys the “best apricot of her life” – a testament to Georgia’s incredible seasonal produce, if you come during the appropriate fruit seasons, you really will taste the best version of an apricot or a tomato or pretty much anything else that you’ve ever had.
- Tbilisi Hills Golf Course: The protagonists meet Davit at this modern golf course while he’s practicing his swing.
- Shavnabada Monastery: Visible in the distance from the parking area, this monastery is famous for its monks who make “extended qvevri-aged” wines. Unlike Ateni Sioni, they make a lot of wine and their new tasting room opened in 2025 so guests can now visit.
- “Sisulele”: During these tense moments, we hear the fun Georgian term Sisulele, which translates to “bullshit.”
- The Mansion Party: The location of Davit’s private pool party mansion remains a mystery, though some believe the exterior valley views could have been filmed from a terrace in the Khada Valley north of Tbilisi.
- The Departure: After the party, Camille returns to Tamar’s home, takes the case of wine that was supposed to be a gift to Issei, and heads stealthily for Paris in the night.
While Georgia appears in later episodes of Drops of God season 2, the locations are mostly repeats as the focus shifts to France.
What is the Herbemont Grape?
In the show, Herbemont is a “forbidden” grape. In reality, it is a hybrid of North American grapes and Vitis vinifera.
Herbemont is a mischievous impostor in the Drops of God Season 2 story: often name‑checked in Georgia, yet there is no real evidence it was ever grown in Georgia the country, nor that it belongs to its native grape canon. In reality, Herbemont is a classic 19th‑century North American–European hybrid, created by crossing native American vines (notably Vitis aestivalis–type material) with Vitis vinifera to toughen vines against heat, humidity, and disease while still aiming for “civilised” European wine character. It almost certainly has a deeper history in Georgia the US state than in any Caucasian vineyard.
Herbemont’s genetics turn out to be more intricate than a simple “one European, one American” cross. Modern classification treats it as an interspecific hybrid that blends Vitis vinifera (with Chasselas identified on the European side) with North American species Vitis aestivalis and Vitis cinerea, making it effectively a three‑species composite rather than a tidy two‑parent variety. In historical context, it is best described as a “found” hybrid that likely emerged from older, undocumented crossings in the southeastern United States, later selected and propagated rather than being the product of a single, recorded breeding event. Even Nicholas Herbemont himself (yes, he is a real historical person!) regarded it as a found hybrid rather than something he deliberately bred.
Why was it banned in France in the 1930s? The ban has some actual historical truth behind it, whereas the reasons behind the ban presented in the episode probably do not. Herbemont was swept into the same political backlash that hit many French–American hybrids: regulators eager to defend the cultural purity and flavour profile of vinifera pushed these outsiders to the margins, officially excluding them from quality wine categories. The tidy conspiracy theory that it was banned mainly to protect chemical sales is entertaining, but the more convincing explanation is snobbery and fear of “corrupting” French wine identity rather than any coordinated agrochemical plot.
Visit Georgia with Eat This! Food & Wine Tours
Want to experience the true 8,000-year history of Georgian wine culture for yourself?
- Explore our typical tours: eatthistours.com/tours/
- ON REQUEST: We can offer specialized Drops of God tours that feature verified locations from the show, mixed with authentic experiences in Kartli and Kakheti. Contact us for private group bookings at [email protected].
- These tours typically require a minimum of five people to book as a group. If you have less people than this, feel free to message us, and we can put you on a wait list. If your dates match with other people, we’ll do our best to put you on a Drops of God tour.
