Drive to Sighnaghi

08/10/2025

I slept really badly due to the barking dogs in the car park. Consequently we were up late and aborted the short walk I’d planned. It was a slow 5 hour drive back down the Military Highway m, and we elected to drive around Tbilisi as the road surface would probably have been better than cutting across. This is more important now as the repaired air bag on the rear suspension has gone again. Enquiries are out for a repair in Georgia but I don’t hold out much hope … it’s a country of 3.67 million. It’s looking likely that we will have to abort Armenia and limp back to Ankara.

We parked up in the centre of Sighnaghi. Known as the city of love … apparently you can get married here 24/7. We didn’t … just went for supper.

Sighnaghi and Ibero Winery

09/10/2025

We wandered Sighnaghi and had a coffee. It’s on the must see list, but tbh we were underwhelmed. Possibly as I had another bad night, due to dogs barking, bins emptied, people. But it was touristy and all about wine tastings. I checked the web to see if we were missing something.

A 45 min drive to Ibero winery. On P4N. They have built a services. Super clean shower, toilet, and kitchen. The outside tap even has a hose. £12.50 for a tasting with a light supper, cold pork, salad, cheeses, dried fruit …. The tasting was 4 white, 1 red, 2 port style, 3 chacha (grappa). All the wine is fermented in the clay pots (qvevri) with the skins. This supplies the tannins, so no need for oak barrels. It has relatively low acidity. Apparently Georgian wine should be drunk young. We bought some, each bottle was c, £10. And the washing machine … free! Fantastic hospitality, especially as it’s the harvest season. Our host was setting his alarm for every 3 hours to stir the mashed grapes, as the top parts must not dry out.

Tsinandali Winery and Alaverdi Church

10/10/2025

We used the shower and hose pipe to fill up supplied by Ibero Winery. A good overnight wind dried the laundry. And we cleaned the inside of Jez. So peaceful, we didn’t want to leave.

We stopped at Tsinandali Winery. It’s one of the big ones. So big, it has a Radisson Hotel on the estate. Having been redirected several times, we eventually found the ticket office. A museum in the house of Alexander Chavchavadze, a poet, a Prince and General in the Russian army. The rooms felt contrived, although I read that it was his furniture. The wine tasting was one glass of uninteresting 6 blended grapes made in the European Style. Not what you want to taste in Georgia! J managed to consume both glasses, as I was driving. We did see the first ever bottled Georgian wine dating back to 1841. All very soulless compared to our last nights family winery.

We had wanted to stop at Telavi, but couldn’t find parking, so came onto Alaverdi Church. Instead of visiting the church, we did our own wine tasting at the Badogoni Bar opposite!