Meet Giorgi Samanishvili, Chairman of the National Wine Agency of Georgia. He was my introduction to the wines from the country of Georgia, located between the Black Sea and the Caucasus- a rather small country that is home to ‘8000Vintages.’

Two to try: Wind Gap’s Russian River, Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard Trousseau Gris, a wine that takes on a slight orange haze and a bit of weight due skin contact but remains tangy and fresh. Or try Pheasant’s Tears Rkatsiteli, a Georgian wine made in a qvevri, or wax-lined clay amphora. If honey wasn’t sweet, it’d taste something like this. 

When the chef Meriko Gubeladze opened Shavi Lomi, she recalled that Tbilisi was “starving for small, homey restaurants with good food.” That was 2011, and the quality of Georgian cuisine — known for its lavish use of spices and aromatic herbs influenced by travelers along the Silk Road 

Soon after opening A Côté in Oakland 15 years ago, Jeff Berlin began accumulating accolades for a wine list that pushed the envelope, featuring wines from obscure grapes and forgotten wine regions, with stories about each that made them accessible and compelling. 

A video about the Boston Wine Expo by WCVB-TV, local ABC affiliate

Some winemaking countries conjure up specific images in our collective imagination. Italy has its sun-burnished hills and France its imperious chateaux. Others are but a faintly exotic blur in the mind’s eye, such as Georgia. Georgia is often lost somewhere in a lacuna in people’s knowledge of geography. 

The ultimate destination for the wine connoisseur is Georgia, in Eastern Europe, which has a winegrowing history dating back 8000 years. Tradition remains strong, with qvevri (clay-pot fermenters) still in use. The region may not be on every tourist’s itinerary but a fervent wine-lover will stop at nothing to fill their bucket list to overflowing.

Over the past few years, Tbilisi, Georgia, has become a red-hot travel destination. The far-flung city boasts a bevy of ancient activities, like its tried-and-true sulfur baths and the centuries-old tradition of drinking kvevri-fermented wine. But it’s not all Old World in Tbilisi: The city’s modern attractions include the techno club Bassiani

Vogue Magazine recently named Georgia—the country, not the state—one of the hottest destinations to visit in 2017. Situated between the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, Georgia is an ancient country with hip new appeal. Formerly part of Soviet Russia, it became an independent state in 1991. Today, it’s bursting with bistros and cafes, art galleries and…

Within wine circles and, increasingly, mainstream travel media, the word on Georgia as a vinous destination has spread. Yet few have actually made the trek to this country bordering Armenia and Turkey. Translation: villages remain authentically charming, the countryside still a peaceful refuge and the unique winemaking traditions endure intact.