Well-known English lifestyle newsletter, Evening Standard, uncovers the reasons why wine lovers should visit Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia in 2018.

As the slogan says, “if you think of wine, think Georgia”. And now we are saying it can trace its wine industry back to the early Neolithic period.

Georgia sits in the middle of the ancient spice route between Europe and the Middle East and Asia, so the country’s dishes are imbued with an incredibly rich and unique use of herbs & spices, like cilantro and dried marigold, that are used in combinations not seen in the other individual regions and are layered…

Wine has been an essential part of Georgian way of life for thousands of years. It’s something Georgians have always known but now have proof: a recent study show that wine-making in Georgia goes back at least to 6,000 B.C.

Georgia – the country not the state – now has validation to their world’s oldest wine region claim. Proof was discovered just 30 miles south of Tbilisi. Carbon dating excavated pottery jars containing wine traces linked to 5980BC left the previous oldest, Iran, in the dust by about 1000 years. But in a world where…

“…Vogue raves about the “Brooklyn-esque undertones” and the “young creative class.” There’s the hearty and delicious food, the beautiful architecture and the fascinating history. This city is located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia and it has been influenced by the Arabs, Ottomans and Russians over the centuries…”

Georgia’s wine exports in 2017 reached their highest level for 30 years, with 76.7 million bottles of wine worth about US$170 million shipped to 53 countries, the Georgian National Wine Agency has announced.

“Georgia exported 76.7 million bottles of wine to 53 countries in 2017 – a record number of wine in the past 30 years, announces the Georgian National Wine Agency…Last year Georgia generated about $170 million from the sale of wine abroad.”

Ask a European about Gerogian cuisine and you’ll probably hear more about wine, cheese and khatchapuri. The Republic of Georgia, in the heart of the Caucasus, has a rich culinary history – and is commonly believed to be the birthplace of modern wine – but until recently, most American cities were completely devoid of Georgian food.…

“…We’ve scoured the globe for the most exciting openings and events in 2018 and boiled them down to 22 especially compelling destinations.”