up next

the October trip we have waited all year to take - LOL- well not exactly but we did plan a trip for this fall that was canceled a year ago due to the political situation and we replaced that destination with this one- some tidbits about the trip:

A Taste of Georgia: Wine, Cuisine & Culture
An Epicurean Adventure Across Georgia's Wine Country

Georgia: A country of superlatives. Arguably the oldest wine producing area in Europe, dating back
some 8,000 years, Georgia is home to the earliest hominid remains yet discovered in Europe. The Svaneti  region, set in the sloping valleys of the towering Caucasus Mountains, is the highest inhabited place in Europe, while on the subtropical Black Sea Coast, citrus and tea plantations flourish. The Georgian method of fermenting home-grown grapes in big earthenware vessels called qvevri is handed down from parent to child, as is their joyous method of polyphonic choral singing. Celebrated by UNESCO as world cultural treasures, wine and song are an inseparable component of traditional Georgian life.

Explore gorgeous Georgia on a culinary and cultural caravan that traverses a modern Garden of Eden
where deeply held traditions are passed down through the generations around the family dinner table.
Travel and taste around the country, discovering Georgia's mosaic of regions, each with its distinctive
flavor and flair. Explore mountain villages crowned with medieval towers, listen to ancient polyphonic songs performed a capella, linger in leafy private vineyards, and sample the fare at up and coming wine bars and restaurants in the cosmopolitan capital, Tbilisi.

A team of three resident experts on all things Georgian are your hosts on various parts of the journey and will ensure your immersion in Georgian culture, cuisine and organic wine making (and wine tasting), with outstanding access and insight. The menus and tastings will be curated by chef and vigneron (winemaker) John Wurdeman, a polyphonic singer, artist, and owner of the now famous Pheasant's Tears Winery and Restaurant.  Ia Tabagari, a well-known ethnologist and travel expert, will join for key events, as will John; and a trained Georgian wine and food specialist will travel with you throughout, to ensure that you are looked after. Together, meet artisans in their workshops, chefs in their kitchens, and natural winemakers in their vineyards and wineries as you discover the history and living traditions of this as-yet-undiscovered little gem.

first stop Tbilisi city- so we will be sure to take plenty of photos and post as we can along the way---

but first the collaboration dinner of Spiaggia and Osteria Langhe tomorrow night and the next night the fund raiser dinner at Monteverde! 

So more food and wine before we go on the food and wine trip LOL- stay tuned!