Khvanchkara

Khvanchkara is a village of about 400 people on the slopes above the Rioni River, roughly 11 km west of Ambrolauri, and the name of one of Georgia's best-known wines. Khvanchkara wine is a naturally semi-sweet red made from two local grapes, Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli, grown in a small protected zone around the village and its neighbours. The cool mountain climate and late harvest leave natural sugar in the wine, which is deep ruby in colour with a velvety texture and a raspberry flavour.

For travellers, the appeal is tasting the wine where it is made. Family cellars in Khvanchkara and the surrounding villages offer tastings, often with Rachan ham, lobiani and a view over the vineyards, and larger wineries around Ambrolauri have tasting rooms. Come in autumn to see the harvest, or in early summer when the vines are green. Arrange visits in advance, as most producers are small and family-run.

Local history credits the wine to the noblemen Luarsab and Dimitri Kipiani, who made it in the late 19th century under the name Sakipiano. Wine merchants presented it at an exhibition in Belgium in 1907, where it won a top prize. In the Soviet era, when it was renamed after the village, it became famous as one of Stalin's favourite wines. Khvanchkara was registered as a protected appellation of origin in Georgia in 2010.