More Kakheti

We left the stunning Tsinandali Radisson to drive farther into the Kakheti region.

Our first stop was in the town of Telavi – the largest town in the region – with lovely colonial era structures and monument of King Erekle II is situated adjacent to the Batonis Tsikhe Fortress and the Palace.

Gremi is a 16th-century architectural monument and a former royal residence in the Kakheti region. It served as the capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti until it was razed to the ground by Persian armies in 1615. The complex is located on a hill overlooking the Alazani Valley and consists of the Church of the Archangels, a three-story palace, a bell tower, and a fortified wall with towers.

The Church of the Archangels, built in 1565 by King Levan of Kakheti, is a cruciform domed church with a turquoise-colored roof, which is an unusual feature for a Georgian sacred building. It contains frescoes from the 16th century, including a portrait of King Levan.

I gained a better insight into the history of the royal families in Georgia through an exhibit on display.

Lunch was at a rustic and antique filled local winery. We enjoyed the usual delicious array of eggplant, tomato and cucumber salad, cheese pie, bean stew and grilled meat! Along with delicious wine of theirs.

Georgians usually make churchkhela in autumn when the primary ingredients, grapes and nuts, are harvested. It is a string of walnut halves that have been dipped in grape juice called tatara or phelamushi (grape juice thickened with flour), and dried in the sun.

The grapes, including their skins, seeds, and stems, are crushed and placed inside the qvevri, which is then sealed and buried underground to ferment and age for several months

Driving we continued to see acre upon acre of vineyards – I don’t believe I have ever seen such widespread plantings and more and more of the trucks carrying the grapes for processing.

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