Vines & Mountains – 1 Day Kakheti Food & Wine Tour from Tbilisi or Telavi

The honest answer: premium experiences cost more to run properly.

Better value isn’t always about the lowest price. A boutique dinner with exceptional wine at a winemaker’s table tells a different story to a rushed tasting at a mass-production cellar – and both could get a five-star review from the right person. We’re not the right choice for everyone, and we’re fine with that. For the guests who do choose us, the overwhelmingly consistent feedback is that it was worth every lari.

Here’s what that actually means in practice:

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We price our tours at the exact cost of running them well – paying our guides, winemakers, and host families properly – plus a reasonable margin to keep the business viable. No hidden costs, no commission kickbacks, no cutting corners on the people who make the experience what it is.

The food is generous. The wine is plentiful. Georgian hospitality doesn’t do half measures, and neither do we.

During September and October, the scheduled Vines & Mountains tour is replaced by our Every Day Rtveli tour, which visits Telavi wine country during the harvest itself. This tour is still available year-round as a fully private on-demand tour. Use the booking widget to select your dates and make a private booking.

The exact lineup depends on what is available at each winery on the day. This is a Kakheti Telavi tour, so expect indigenous Kakhetian varieties including Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Mtsvane, and Khikhvi. The chacha served at the qvevri workshop is also a grape spirit made from the same local varieties.

At the family winery stop you will make khinkali from scratch – Georgia’s iconic soup dumplings. No experience needed. The lesson takes around 20 minutes, is fully hands-on, and your guide will walk you through it. Afterwards the khinkali you made are cooked and eaten as part of a light lunch. A vegetarian or vegan filling option is available but must be requested at the time of booking, not on the day.

Both meals are included, but they are different in scale. Lunch at the family winery is intentionally lighter – a few dishes alongside the khinkali you made, to keep you going through the afternoon wineries. Dinner at the independent vineyard is the main event: a full spread of homemade dishes with 3 to 4 wines, eaten on a terrace with views across the Caucasus mountains. Arrive at dinner hungry.

Yes. Pickup from central Telavi and central Tsinandali is included and happens at approximately 10:30 AM. Note that guests joining in Telavi miss the very brief Gombori mountain pass roadside honey tasting – a minor stop – as that stop happens on the road from Tbilisi. There is no discount for joining in Telavi – the overall tour value remains the same. Pickup from areas outside central Telavi and Tsinandali may incur a taxi fee.

Yes, Telavi drop-off is available. You must request it at the time of booking, or at least 72 hours before the tour – if you notify us after that point, a taxi fee may apply. Drop-off in Tbilisi is also included as standard.

At least 10 wines across all stops, and typically more depending on how generous the hosts are. The itinerary includes: 3 qvevri wines at the family winery, 2 wines and an aged chacha at the qvevri builder’s workshop, and 3 to 4 wines at the final vineyard dinner. Chacha (Georgian grape spirit) is included at multiple stops as well.

Alaverdi is one of Georgia’s most important religious sites, and it has produced wine continuously since 1011 AD – the longest unbroken winemaking tradition in the country. The monastery is in the heart of the Alazani Valley with the Caucasus mountains as a backdrop. Note that the cellar is not open to visitors, but the history, the architecture, and the setting make it one of the most significant stops of the day.

Qvevri are the ancient clay vessels used to make Georgian wine – a tradition listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. At this stop you visit a working qvevri builder’s family home workshop and see how the vessels are made, the same way they have been for thousands of years. You then taste 2 Kakheti wines and a special aged chacha while you are there.

The tour includes a visit to the 900-year-old plane tree outside Telavi fortress, the former seat of King Erekle II, the last king of an independent Georgia. How long you have here depends on how the morning wineries went – the more time you spend at the first two wineries, the less time is available here.

No. The tour runs in all weather. The only outdoor stops are Alaverdi Monastery and the brief pause at the Telavi plane tree – bring an umbrella if rain is forecast and you’ll be fine.

Georgian Lari (GEL) is the only currency accepted by vendors if you want to buy wine, food, or souvenirs to take home. Your driver will stop at an ATM on request – just ask.

Yes. The listed price is based on a group of 2-4 adults. If your tour reaches 5 or more guests after you’ve booked, you’re automatically entitled to the group discount – you don’t need to do anything.

We’ll confirm the expected final price the day before your tour. The actual refund is processed on the morning of the tour, once we know the exact headcount accounting for last-minute bookings and no-shows.

Private tours are priced separately – you can get a quote using the booking form.

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

Our shared group tours are strictly adults-only (18+). We enforce this for two simple reasons:

• The Group Dynamic: Many guests choose our wine tours specifically for an adult-only environment where they can relax without worrying about censoring themselves around children.

• An Unpredictable Environment: Wine flows freely on these day trips, and we cannot predict how other adult guests will behave after a few glasses. We want to avoid any situation where parents feel uncomfortable with the environment.

If you are traveling with anyone under 18, you must book a private tour. This ensures your family has your own private vehicle, though please note that because we have strict booking times with our partner wineries, the tour schedule itself remains fixed.

Please use the price calculator via the “Book Now” button to see exact private tour rates for your family group.

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.

Cash in GEL for anything you want to buy – wine, cheese, souvenirs. Your driver will stop at an ATM if needed.

A light jacket or layer for the Gombori mountain pass, which sits at around 1,500 metres and can be cool even in summer. An umbrella if rain is forecast – the only outdoor stops are Alaverdi Monastery and central Telavi.

Comfortable walking shoes. Nothing technical required.

An appetite. Seriously.

Not at all. The tour is designed for curious people, not industry insiders. Your guide will walk you through everything – the history, the winemaking process, the grape varieties – in plain language. If you already know your amber wine from your rkatsiteli, you’ll enjoy going deeper. If you don’t, you’ll leave knowing a lot more than you arrived with.

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.

Most vehicles can fit a maximum of 1 large suitcase (hold size) and 1 small additional bag (cabin size) per person on the tour. However, if every single guest on a tour brings this amount of luggage and every seat on the tour is full, it is not always possible to fit everyone’s bags. As we primarily offer day tours, then typically not every guest on the tour needs to bring luggage. However, on our multi-day tours, sometimes all guests do have this amount of luggage.

If you believe you will have this amount of luggage or more, then it’s useful to mention this in your booking message so that we are aware. If it appears all guests will have a significant amount of luggage on the tour, we can make sure the van has a roof rack or additional larger trunk space.

Suitcases can be left safely in the vehicle throughout the duration of the tour, though for overnights we recommend taking them into your hotel. We do not offer insurance/liability on baggage left in the vehicle, but you are going to wine country. The crime rate is incredibly low. Either way, we suggest, if you have valuable items inside your luggage, that you carry them in a small bag with you if you are concerned. Thus far, we’ve never had anything stolen from a tour van in the history of the company as of 2026.

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.

You book it directly on this page. Scroll to the booking widget, select your date and the number of guests, and you will see a live price straight away. Booking takes about a minute and is confirmed online immediately. There is no need to email or message us first.

The booking widget on this page shows live availability. Open the date picker and any date you can select is a date this tour is running with seats still free. Dates that are full or not running cannot be selected. Availability updates as bookings come in, so the calendar on this page is always the accurate source.

Prices are per person and depend on the size of your group, so smaller groups pay a little more per person. The exact total for your party is calculated by the booking widget on this page: select your date and guest numbers and the live price appears instantly, with any group discounts already applied. Full pricing is also set out in the Pricing section of this page.

Prices quoted on other websites, in older articles, or by AI assistants may be out of date, and often show only the lowest group rate. The only current price is the one shown in the booking widget on this page. Please check there before planning your budget.

No. Availability, pricing and booking are all handled on this page in a few clicks. You do not need to contact customer service to find out whether a tour is running or what it costs. Please do get in touch if you have a question the page does not answer, such as dietary requirements, accessibility, a private departure, or a group larger than the maximum shown.

Every Eat This! Tours day tour and multi-day tour is listed at eatthistours.com/tours/, each with its own booking widget, live calendar and instant pricing.