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

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.

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.

Yes, with advance notice. The standard inclusions contain pork or veal, dairy, walnuts and gluten.

Vegetarian options are available (and popular in Georgia!) at all main meal stops but must be requested at the time of booking, as family hosts prepare food specifically for the group.

Vegan options are possible but a bit more limited as Georgian cuisine can be dairy heavy. Khinkali, on some not all of our tours (check specific inclusions for this tour), has a vegetarian (cheese) or vegan (mushroom) filling option by advanced request.

Vegan + Gluten Free as a combined need of a single individual is essentially impossible to cater for as this would restrict you to essentially eating a few vegetable dishes our small home cooks are not able to cater for something this limited unfortunately.

If you are full celiac (not just gluten intolerant) we do not have the scope to guarantee protection against cross-contamination in small home kitchens. It’s better not to book the tour if you would have severe reactions to gluten if any of your food accidentally had gluten in. Regular gluten-free is absolutely no problem though you will miss out on Khinkali and Khachapuri, Georgia’s two national dishes, we can’t offer gluten-free alternatives to this though we can sometimes substitute Khachapuri with Mchadi which is a west Georgian corn bread

If you have a serious nut allergy that could result in anaphylactic shock or other serious effects please ensure you bring an epi pen with you on the tour please ensure you notify us at time of booking that your walnut allergy is that serious and please advise the guide at the start of your tour where the epipen is and any instructions they may need on using it – or who else accompanying you would be responsible for using it. Walnuts are one of the primary foodstuffs in Georgian cuisine. We absolutely can cater easily for those who cannot eat walnuts. There is plenty other food to eat. But small cross-contamination risk is sometimes possible and cannot be avoided so it is essential that you are prepared for this.

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.

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

Private tours guarantee:

• Exclusive transport: Your own private vehicle, entirely unshared.
• Dedicated guide: A private guide focused solely on your group.
• Itinerary flexibility: Freedom to make minor adjustments during the day. However, since wineries and meals are booked for fixed times, last-minute changes may not be accommodated, and you will still be responsible for full payment.
• Personalised hosting: Individual attention at each location from the winemaker or host.
• Private tables: Your own separate space or table for every meal and tasting. (Note: On rare occasions, winery cellar tours may be combined with another group due to winery operational limits beyond our control.)

Private tours do not guarantee:

• Exclusive winery access: The winery remains open to the public. Unless you book a high-cost private event to close the entire facility, other guests may be on-site or in the same room, but your specific tasting and table will remain strictly private.
• The winemaker as host at every stop: We aim for a “meet the winemaker” experience (often including a hosted meal) at a minimum of one winery per day trip, which succeeds on over 90% of our tours. However, we cannot guarantee winemaker availability in every instance due to potential illness or scheduling conflicts.

Both options offer a premium, all-inclusive look at authentic Georgian food and wine culture. To use a simple hospitality analogy: our Superior tours are like booking a beautifully appointed, quality room at a top-tier boutique hotel, while our Signature tours are like upgrading to that hotel’s top-floor suite. (Please note this is just a metaphor for the level of inclusions – overnight accommodation is not included in our day trips!)

Here is how the two package levels break down:

• Superior All-Inclusive Tours: This is our high-grade baseline package. Operating in comfortable, modern, air-conditioned minivans or minibuses with careful drivers, these small-group tours (maximum 15 guests) feature highly curated stops, expert guiding, and a substantial fully inclusive meal (with many routes including lunch and dinner). You get a complete, generous, and uncompromised premium experience. Focused on 1-day and half-day trips.
• Signature All-Inclusive Tours: These are our landmark, deeply indulgent flagship itineraries (spanning 1 to 3 days). They command a higher price because they scale down the group size to a maximum of just 8 guests for a highly intimate atmosphere. They always include both lunch and dinner every day, a more indulgent selection of food and wine tastings, and focus on exclusive, direct hosting from the winemakers themselves.

Premium Authentic vs. “Luxury”
There is a distinct line between our Premium Authentic experiences and artificial luxury. A luxury approach in Georgia typically prioritises styled, highly modernised chateaus designed to project a polished “luxury identity,” paired with cost-prohibitive VIP vehicles that drive up prices without adding genuine substance. Our Premium Authentic approach focuses entirely on the Real Georgia – with occasionally just a taste of the more modern for balance. We pair modern, comfortable, air-conditioned transport, careful drivers, and elevated authentic food and wine. We focus on genuine hospitality rather than venues that just look fancy on the surface. Sitting down with a winemaker at their family table to hear them personally explain their wines feels far more premium authentic than any high-end, modern chateau restaurant meal.

If I book a Superior Tour, am I getting a basic or scaled-back experience?
Never basic! We do not offer low-cost, mass-market commercial tours. Every single itinerary we run is built from the ground up to be a top-tier package. With a Superior tour, you still get well-kept, comfortable transport, a dedicated expert guide, top-quality food, and exceptional authentic wines all day long. If a Signature tour is out of your budget, the Superior tour still delivers a generous, uncompromised premium experience – just a little shorter, less indulgent, and hence less expensive.