2018 Primetime Emmy
& James Beard Award Winner

Roam

  • The Best of Georgia

    Tbilisi and the Western Winelands

    June 7-15, 2025

    ?

    Feast your way from the riverine capital Tbilisi to the miracles of Western Georgia, where cave monasteries and an ancient wine culture collide. Hosted and inspired by the adventure, curiosity, and connections of Georgia’s most celebrated chefs and winemakers.

    Inquire Now
    Natia Svanidze

    Local Guide

    Activist, Bon Vivant
    Natia Svanidze

Overview

Tbilisi and the Western Winelands

There are few countries on earth with as fierce a hospitality culture as Georgia. Come experience the most well-connected week of insider access you can have to this incredible cuisine, shaped by the Silk Road and thousands of years of pride and innovation. Feast your way from the riverine capital Tbilisi to the miracles of Western Georgia, where cave monasteries and an ancient wine culture collide. Hosted and inspired by the adventure, curiosity, and connections of Georgia’s most celebrated chefs and winemakers.

  • Georgia
  • June 7-15, 2025
  • 12 people
Map
  • Georgia
  • June 7-15, 2025
  • 12 people
Tbilisi and the Western Winelands Inquire Now

DISCOVER GEORGIA:
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

Day
1

A Tbilisi Welcome

  • Stamba Hotel
  • 14 Merab Kostava St, 0108 Tbilisi, Georgia
  • +995 32 202 11 99
  • Welcome cocktails with star chef (and spirit animal of this trip) Tekuna Gachicheladze and your hosts in the Ground Bar at the ultra-stylish Stamba Hotel
  • Stroll through the green, gorgeous Vera district where the hotel is
  • First dinner together with the crew in Tbilisi
Day
2

Tbilisi’s Finest

  • Stamba Hotel
  • 14 Merab Kostava St, Tbilisi, Georgia 0108
  • +995 32 202 11 99
  • Languorous breakfast at Stamba Hotel
  • A walk through Dezerter Bazaar Market with writer Paul Rimple, with market lunch
  • Lunch at the Shavi Lomi restaurant, under the celebrated chef Meriko Gubeladze
  • Deep all-regions wine tasting at Stamba’s new wine bar
  • Dinner at Salobie Bia hosted by Chef Giorgi Iosava featuring Georgian bean mastery (yes, it’s a thing here) and Jonjoli salad
Day
3

Into the Winelands

  • Private adjaruli khachapuri breakfast at Cafe Stamba
  • Transfer to Kakheti wine region, check into the elegant Vazisubani Resort 
  • Wine tasting with Vincent Julliens at Lapati Wines, showcasing the art of making Qvevri wine
  • A relaxing dinner at Pheasant’s Tears in Sighnaghi with chef Gio Rokashvili and iconic winemaker John Wurdeman accompanied by one of Georgia’s best revival polyphonic choirs, Zedashe
Day
4

The Mighty Supra

  • Free morning for swimming, relaxing, or hiking
  • Head out to Nekresi Monastery for a private tour and lunch at Nekresi Estate, hosted by Chef Tekuna Gachechiladze
  • A mid-afternoon supra feast in wine country with Tekuna Gachechiladze and Irakli Bluishvili, winemaker behind Blui’s wines
Day
5

Kakheti to Vardzia

  • Leisurely morning at Vazisubani Estate
  • Lunch in Artana with Winemaker Keti Berishvili
  • Transfer from Vazisubani to the western winelands of Vardzia: ROADTRIP
  • Dinner of grilled seafood and cold beer along the Mtkvari River at Valodia’s Cottages
  • Check-in and rack out at Vardzia Resort
Day
6

God is Good

  • Morning trip to the legendary Vardzia cave monastery complex
  • Hike to Chachkari village, the ancient wine-suppliers to the monastery below
  • Aluda’s in Chobareti for tenili cheese-making, a chance to help make Meskhetian dumplings, and a supreme Meskhetian village feast
  • Riverside picnic with the wines of Giorgi Natenadze, renowned winemaker recovering the roots of Meskhetian wine
Day
7

Return to the capital

  • Stamba Hotel
  • 14 Merab Kostava St, 0108 Tbilisi, Georgia
  • +995 32 202 11 99
  • Returning to Tbilisi through the southern route
  • Lunch with the nuns at Phoka Nunnery
  • Dinner at the restaurant OtsY hosted by chef Giorgi Ninua
Day
8

A last touch of Tbilisi

  • Stamba Hotel
  • 14 Merab Kostava St, 0108 Tbilisi, Georgia
  • +995 32 202 11 99
  • Free morning of shopping or coffee in Tbilisi’s ancient center
  • A visit to Tbilisi’s historic baths and their pools of hot, sulphur-rich water
  • Lunch at Keto & Kote for a modern twist on Georgia’s unrivaled cuisine
  • Farewell dinner at the historic mansion that houses Café Littera
Day
9

Farewell

  • Last breakfast at Stamba Hotel
  • Private transfer to Tbilisi Airport

What’s Included

  • All breakfasts, lunches, dinners except when itinerary explicitly says “Independent Meals”
  • Expertise and services of our experienced trip leaders: at least one guide and one host per trip
  • Snacks and beverages between meals
  • Additional guides and experts from the region
  • Transfers to and from the airport or wherever you are on the day the trip starts and ends
  • Daily Roads & Kingdoms gifts related to the themes, activities and narratives of each trip
  • All gratuities for accommodations, meals, guiding or transport

What’s Not Included

  • International airfare to and from the journey (note: some trips begin and end at different airports)
  • Personal bar tabs (when not with the group)
  • Personal laundry or spa services
  • Personal travel insurance

Meet Our Hosts

Natia Svanidze

Guide

Natia Svanidze

Bon Vivant, Activist

Natia Svanidze is one of the most remarkable guides in the League family: a perfect multitool of hosting, toasting, fixing, arranging, celebrating, and advocating. With many years in her country’s political arena, she remains a passionate evangelist for Georgian independence and the country’s European future. This week is a perfect encapsulation of her take on life in Georgia: fierce, fun, fascinating.

Where You’ll Stay

Stamba Hotel

Stamba Hotel

The new spirit of Tbilisi

Set within the former printing press of a Soviet-era publishing house in the historic Vera neighborhood of Tbilisi, Stamba is one of the world’s most stylish boutique hotels. Its daring “wild urbanist” construction includes large warehouse windows and internal steel balconies that line the hotel’s upper levels. The former print-drying beam is used to support the foliage that dominates the five-story-high atrium of the hotel’s “jungle lobby.” Supremely alluring, inventive, and rich with history, Stamba embodies the new spirit of Tbilisi.

Vazisubani Estate

Vazisubani Estate

OLD WORLD ELEGANCE

In Kakheti, our group is taking over the stately Vazisubani Estate, one of the finest rural properties in Georgia, with a neoclassical elegance and of course an infinity pool looking out toward the towering Caucasus Mountains. Built by a renowned Georgian nobleman and winemaking pioneer, the 19th-century estate was repurposed into a boutique hotel replete with gardens and an extensive wine cellar. The estate is set within a dendrological garden surrounded by vineyards stretching over 35 hectares and a parkland that’s home to some of the oldest and rarest trees in the region.

Vardzia Resort

Vardzia Resort

A verdant enclave

The Vardzia Resort is immersed in one of the most dramatic locations in all of Georgia. Located in the deep Mtkvari River valley, just across from the Vardzia cave monastery, the resort is a perfect contrast of modern conveniences with the ancient landscape around it. Also on site: a casual restaurant, a bar and lounge, a garden, a spa, and two outdoor pools.

  • Georgia is an extraordinary place—the indomitable spirit of the people, the amazing food and wine culture, the jaw-dropping scenery.

    Traveler
    Tbilisi and the Western Winelands 2024

  • The traditional Supra feast at the country estate of Georgia’s most famous chef was an evening I will remember for the rest of my life.

    Kevin V.
    Tbilisi and the Western Winelands 2024

  • It was better than I could have hoped. Every day was even better than the last.

    Katy C.
    Tbilisi and the Western Winelands 2024

Discover Georgia:
Past Trips Gallery

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Tbilisi and the Western Winelands Inquire Now
R&K League of Travelers

Ready for a new adventure?

Inquire Now.

    Fill out the form to join the waitlist. We’ll reach out if space opens up.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How large are your groups?

    We have a maximum of 12 travelers for each trip. Our guiding light: how many people could cram into a perfectly-sized bar in Ginza? That’s how many we want to travel with, that’s how we came up with that number. Each trip has at least two members from the R&K team.

    Do I really have to do an interview?

    Yes! We don’t offer a way to book online, because we want the chance to talk to each of you about how you like to travel, and about what we do on our trips. That includes spouses and partners! Don’t sweat it, we have an appropriately high acceptance rate, but it is a requirement, whether by Zoom or by WhatsApp.

    Is there a solo traveler supplement?

    Yes, we have a $1500 solo traveler supplement ($1000 for four-night trips).

    Should I get travel insurance?

    Roads & Kingdoms is a fully insured travel provider but we recommend you purchase travel insurance for yourself to cover costs you might incur through change of plans, flights, etc. We do not have a recommended provider, but there are many reputable providers available online and the signup process is not onerous.

    What is included in the price?

    Our journeys are meant to free you from any financial decision-making whatsoever during the week, if you choose. You’re responsible for your own international airfare to our starting city. But then we take care of everything else, from tipping to transportation to hotels and meals and drinks along the way. You’re only responsible for personal bar tabs (when not with the group), personal laundry, or personal spa services.

    What happens if R&K cancels a journey?

    This has not happened in the post-acute-COVID period—nor do we anticipate it happening—but we do reserve the right to cancel or postpone a trip up to 100 days before departure. In that case, you would receive a full refund, including the $1500 deposit.

    CAN YOU ACCOMMODATE VEGETARIANS?

    The short answer is yes! Any trip can be adapted, but some work better than others. Salamanca and the World of Jamón, for instance, would probably not make sense for a vegetarian, whereas Tbilisi and the Western Winelands works well. Animal products do feature heavily throughout our journeys, and many include whole-animal barbecues, ceremonial slaughter, or other traditional culinary methods that might be off-putting to those who abstain.

    Traveler Rights And Responsibilities

    The League of Travelers is meant to be that: an intimate group of travelers who accompany us to some of our favorite places to spend time with some of our favorite people. That is why we interview all potential travelers. These trips are not for everyone, and we just want to be sure the vibe matches. Mostly, for you, that means treating the people who make these trips possible, from drivers to somms to waiters to hotel staff, with decency. We will do our best to accommodate special requests, but we don’t have fulltime concierge or waitstaff on these trips, we have chefs and writers and storytellers. Our groups are a diverse bunch, so please also come with an open mind and heart for your fellow travelers. And in exchange, we pledge to open all doors we can to you. We promise we will have poured our whole selves into these journeys, and we will do everything in our power to make it a wondrous experience.

    Refund And Deposit Policy

    We require 50% downpayment to secure a spot. Second payment due 60 days after first payment. If you cancel up to 60 days before the start of the trip, the trips are fully refundable except for a nonrefundable $1500 deposit. Within 60 days we will refund everything except the $1500 deposit if we are able to replace your seat, otherwise you must contact us to see if a transfer to a later journey is possible. If we cancel a trip for any reason, the entire trip, including the $1500 deposit, is fully refundable.

    Dates

    2024

    2025

    Destinations

    Europe

    Asia-Pacific

    Latin America

    Africa