Name: German Cellars, Vines & Archeology Tour – Bolnisi / Dmanisi / Asureti (Food & Wine Tour)
Brand: Eat This! Tours
SKU: 1
Price: 430 GEL
Availability: InStock

WhatsApp +995511105991 (Mon-Fri 11am-6pm | Sat-Sun 11:30am-2pm) [email protected]

On-Demand Only. Prices From 430 GEL pp (7 persons) to 560 GEL pp (2 persons).

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Bolnisi Tour: Extraordinarily diverse wine, food, ancient history, and culture, all packed into a single-day tour. Discover the oldest evidence of hominin life outside of Africa (1.85 million years) at the Dmanisi archeological site. Explore 8000 years of wine history in the valley where the oldest evidence of winemaking on Earth was discovered.

Visit 19th-century German wine cellars and historic buildings in the settlements of Bolnisi (Katherinfeld) and Asureti (Elisabethal) taste a variety of artisan wines made with a blend of Georgian & German technology. Feast on traditional dishes with the winemakers at their family homes. As if this wasn’t already enough, marvel at the stunning scenery of green hills, mountains, and canyons along the Mashavera River Valley.

Premium authentic, small group, indulgently all-inclusive lunch & dinner with plenty of wine! Visit 3 wineries total, taste 10+ wines across 2+ wine appellations.

Bookable as a private tour / on-demand / out of season. Pricing tiers and booking info below.

8:30 am to ~9 pm (1 Day)
Max People : 7
Wines: 9+
On-Demand Only
Pickup: Your Central Tbilisi Accommodation
Min Age : 18+

Why are your tours quite a high price?

Our premium tours are priced higher than budget or mid-range competitors due to our dedication to exclusivity, quality, authenticity, and fair compensation to guides and small family winemakers.

Our philosophy on price is: What is better value for money, a unique boutique dinner with premium wine, or eating a supermarket sandwich on a park bench with a nice view? Either experience could get a 5 star review, if the quality meets the price tag and exceeds your personal expectations.

Although we understand our prices may not suit everyone, we guarantee premium experiences surpassing cheaper alternatives, to which our past guests overwhelmingly give 5 star reviews and agree are genuinely worth the price tag. Learn why, below.

Eat This! Tours (Premium)	Typical Budget Tours
Small groups (max 7, on scheduled tours).	Larger groups (15 to 30).
All-Inclusive, lunch and dinner.	Lunch only, at extra charge (PAYG).
Meet the winemaker (at least one per day on every trip). And experienced wine hosts. Take your time exploring wines.	Served wine by junior staff at the cellar door. Get in and get out.
Taste many small-batch artisan wines. All wine tasting (large pours) included during tour hours.	Taste a few mass-produced wines. Additional wine at extra charge.
Variety of family micro-producers / artisans and high-class vineyards and chateaus.	Visit wine factories (1 million+ bottle production) with mass-market wines.
Exclusive family meal with a winemaker at their home winery. (We also offer premium wine pairing tasting menus on some tours)	Budget restaurant with tourist menu, at extra charge.
Elevated home-made cuisine, unique dishes, boutique chef.	Typical standard dishes you will find in every restaurant around Georgia.
Expert guide.	Guide.
Fair pay to good people. We pay our staff and winemakers above average rates for top service. Quality and sustainability over profit.	Focus on cheap places, lowest price and quality, places that offer kickbacks (commissions) to bring people.
You never leave hungry or sober (optional), you will discover true Georgian hospitality right at the source.	If you have time during the trip you can pay extra for enough food and wine.
Specialist, immersive food and wine focus with a little sightseeing. Indulge, connect, never want to go home.	Sightseeing focus with some wine and food stops. See, quick taste, go home.

Our tours are priced with the exact cost (with fair pay to vendors) plus a 5% to 25% margin (depending on tour type and the number of guests) to pay our admin staff and be in profit (otherwise the business would close).

To See The Full Itinerary, See Further Below

Bolnisi Tour Highlights

Fully-indulgent, premium authentic, all-Inclusive food & wine tour with lunch & dinner.
Dmanisi: 1.85 Million-year-old archeology of Homo Erectus - the oldest evidence of hominin life outside of Africa. Learn the history, and visit the Virgin Mary church for wonderful views of the canyon and valley. NOTE: Open May to October, 7 days per week. Out of season we visit the excellent Bolnisi Museum instead (closed Mondays).
Bolnisi (Ekaterinenfeld / Katharinenfeld) & Asureti (Elisabethtal): Incredible 19th-century German (Swabian) settlements. Explore old German architecture & wine cellars.
Meet an artisan winemaker (<20,000 bottles total per year) at his German marani and taste his small-batch wines. Immerse yourself in Georgia's 8000 year winemaking history - the oldest on Earth.
Taste a variety of wines made in Georgian & German styles from the appellations of Bolnisi and Asureti, including the historic Aseretuli Shala wine.
Feast on traditional dishes, made by the winemaker’s family. Share toasts with the winemaker while tasting small-batch artisan wine.

The above summary relates to scheduled tours. For private tour bookings, this itinerary can run on any date year-round, alternative start time, pickup location (if not from a location listed below as a possible pickup), under 18s (with guardian), groups larger than 7 etc. Select private or custom tour below. Prices may vary.

The initial listed price is based on 1 adult traveling in a group of 7 people on a scheduled tour. Full pricing info is below.

Important: Wine tasting servings are big. No budget sip-and-go tastings with our company. Monitor your own drinking and enjoy a fun wine day!

Location

From Tbilisi to Bolnisi and back.

Tour Time

8:30 am to 9 pm (12.5 Hours). On-Demand Only. Or book a private version of this tour any day or time of year (a surcharge may apply in some cases)

Pickup / Drop off

Yes, from all central Tbilisi accommodation. Pickup in Bolnisi is also possible. Drop-Off in Tbilisi. But Asureti is also possible.

Alternative starting point? Book a private tour.

Price Includes

All food (Traditional home-cooked lunch feast and lighter dinner with free flowing artisan wine, other snacks), wine tastings (at least 9 wines) and soft drink as listed in the itinerary below. Typically more than listed.
Safe and expert driver-guide, with modern, well maintained vehicle, working seatbelts and aircon.
Diet: Includes pork or veal, dairy / walnuts / gluten | Alternatives & vegetarian options by advanced request.
Pickup / drop-off at your Tbilisi accommodation.
Small group tours (up to 7 guests).
Entry fees to all locations.
Bottled water.
Taxes & fees.

Price Excludes

Purchase of products to take home (Wine, food, souvenirs etc.)
Additional food and premium wine beyond the inclusions (but really, there will be plenty already, and we do buy extra in most all cases where requested - which is a rare request!).
Insurance (liability & travel/health). You should travel with your own insurance.
Tips – non-compulsory. Suggested for guides: 90 GEL (30USD) per day per tour group. This is optional, or you can tip more or less.

Private Tour Options (subject to availability and surcharge)

If you need customizations or a different date when this tour is not scheduled to run, submit a private tour enquiry instead of the booking form.

Vehicle choice: sedan, 4x4 / SUV, minivan, minibus.
Custom itinerary / pickup location. (Note: Pickup en route from Tbilisi to Telavi is normally possible for the scheduled tours)
Specialist trained sommelier guide or social host.
Choose your start and end time.
Any group size (1 to 28 persons, but more on request) or age (under 18s are welcome on private tours).
Done this tour before? Book an entirely unique variation with different wineries.

What to Expect

Taste Georgia’s 8,000 Year Wine History Surrounded By Vines & Mountains In The Kakheti Wine Region.

You are ready to explore Georgian natural wine but don't want to push your boundaries too far.
Low level of physical activity. We mainly hang out at wineries and visit a few essential historic sites.
Fast paced trip packing lots of wine, fun and activities into 1 day. For a more relaxing trip, we suggest staying overnight in wine country (2 or 3 day trips).
Focused on amber & red wines. Other options available by special request on a private tour booking.

Bolnisi / Asureti / Dmanisi Tour Pricing

The pricing listed in the booking form is the maximum price you will pay. As the tour fills up, we can offer additional discounts. The trip needs 2 adults minimum to run, and will normally run as a private tour just for your group, but if others are interested in joining your dates and you are happy to combine, then the price can be reduced.

If you want to join others on a shared tour, it’s better to book one of our most popular tours.

2 Adults	3 to 4 Adults	5 to 6 Adults	7 Adults
560 GEL pp	490 GEL pp	450 GEL pp	430 GEL pp

—

If traveling with children under 18, you must book a private tour.

Book On-Demand / Private Tour

Bolnisi Tour Photos

Dmanisi - Unesco Sites in Georgia (tentative)

NOTE: We work with many small family wineries. Photos represent the typical places you will visit but it is impossible to guarantee 100% that the exact wineries pictured will all be visited on every tour. We follow the same itinerary and inclusions/experiences each time, but substitutions of wineries and slight changes in timings often happen.

Bolnisi Tour Itinerary

08:30 AMDepart Tbilisi

09:45 AMBolnisi Old German Walking Streets

See traditional German buildings in central Bolnisi (30 minutes drive/walk). * Former Cathedral * Listed buildings along King Pharnavaz st. * Recently renovated doctor’s house.

10:25 AMGrab Local Georgian Snacks for the Road

Stop at a bakery for fresh Tones Puri or Lobiani.

11:15 AMDmanisi Archeological Museum & Virgin Mary Church + Canyon

Drive through the scenic gorge then hIke up (10 minutes) to the historic Virgin Mary church for lovely views of the canyon and valley, and visit the archeological dig site where the oldest remains of Homminin life in Europe (1.85M years) have been discovered.

12:45 pmKveshi Fortress

Kveshi Fortress – OPTIONAL, make a quick stop at a small medieval fortress on the hill.

1:30 PMBolnisi: German Artisan Wine Cellar Visit

Large traditional lunch & wine tasting with the winemaker. Visit a 19th-century German cellar. Try 3 to 6 wines from different styles. Artisan, small family producer.

4:15 PMPanormaic Valley / Mountain Views From The Bolnisi Zedashe

Zedashe (St. Peter & Paul’s Monastery). Head up to the monastery for incredible 360-degree panoramic views of the whole valley.

4:45 pmBolnisi: Premium Wine Tasting

Taste 3 to 4 fine artisan wines from a medium size, independent producer.

6:30 PMAsureti Cathedral and Old German Street.

Take a short walk along the central street of the 19th-Century German settlement of Asureti. See traditional buildings and the historic Cathedral.

6:45 PMAsureti: Home German Wine Cellar, Wine Tasting & Light Dinner

Wine tasting & light dinner. Visit an old German house and traditional wine cellar to try 2 homemade wines, including the local varietal “Aseretuli Shala”. Top up from your lunch feast with a light dinner of local homemade dishes.

9:00 pmArrive to Tbilisi

FAQ

Is this tour weather dependent?

No. The tour runs in all weathers but note that if it is heavy rain then access to the Dmanisi site is quite muddy and may not happen. We’d go to Bolnisi museum instead, which includes all the information in a modern indoor environment.

What currency do I need to bring?

The only currency accepted by vendors for buying wine/gifts etc. to take home, is the national currency GEL. You can get this from any ATM and your driver will be happy to stop at one.

Purchase of our tours is normally in GEL based on the current exchange rate for the USD pricing of the tours. We’ll advise you of the exchange rate by email shortly before the tour date.

If I book at full price then the bus fills up, will I get a rebate? And when?

The initial standard price listed on our tour webpages is based on 1 adult traveling in a group of 2 to 4 people on a scheduled tour. Groups of 5 or more adults receive discounts. If you booked at full price and your tour ends up with 5 or more people after you booked, we will refund you any owed savings. This is done on the morning of the tour to ensure we know the exact number of people who actually took the tour, and can account for last minute sign ups and no-shows when calculating the final price.

The final discount will vary depending on the exact number of guests in the vehicle. We always honor discounts and will normally contact you about the expected final price the day before your tour, if it has changed since you initial booking.

Prices vary for private and custom tours (we’ll give you an exact quote based on what you want to book) as well as any extras you may book in addition to the scheduled tours.

How are your tours priced?

The core difference between our tours and cheap trips is that we take you to exclusive, authentic, private and high quality places, rather than cheap mass tourism wineries and restaurants that offer kickbacks to tour companies that bring tourists. Small groups (max 7) rather than a big bus (10 to 30 people). All-inclusive, extensive wine and food tastings, rather than hidden costs and pay as you go extras at budget venues.

The price you pay is the exact price it costs us to run the service (paying guides and vendors for what they provide etc.) plus a margin of 10% to 30% to cover marketing costs, office staff, and so we run at a profit (otherwise we’ll go out of business!). The margin depends on the amount of people, and type of tour. We actually subsidize tours with only 2 people on, out of our margin, to keep our pricing competitive, and because we’d rather have our guides out and getting paid, than get greedy and penalize small groups.

We always try to price transparently and as fairly as possible and to pay guides and vendors above average in order to retain the best people.

What is your cancellation policy?

Information on cancellation and refund policy is here: https://eatthistours.com/terms-conditions-of-service/

German Cellars, Vines & Archeology Tour – Bolnisi / Dmanisi / Asureti (Food & Wine Tour)

$1 USD = ~₾2.75 GEL

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