Classic GEORGIAN FOOD & WINERY TOUR in Ateni, Georgia

🇬🇪 FRIENDLY GE: https://friendly.ge/en 🇬🇪 WINE ARTISANS:   / wineartisans   🇬🇪 NIKA VACHEISHVILI’S GUESTHOUSE:   / nikacacheishvilismarani   As my epic road trip through Georgia continued into the central part of the country, I decided to visit a bunch of wineries in a country that’s known for its long history of wine-making! Join me as I visit some wineries in Ateni, Georgia! My boy Tim and I would be heading to Ateni, which is a medieval city in the Tana River valley just south of Gori. The city dates back to the 11th century and was guarded by three fortresses: Ateni Fortress, Vere Fortress, and Deksikhe. 🇬🇪 LEARN MORE ABOUT GEORGIA: https://davidsbeenhere.com/asia/georgia/ 👕 DAVID’S BEEN HERE MERCH: https://teespring.com/stores/davids-b... We began our afternoon at Wine Artisans, a winery that’s actually a local’s home. It’s run by Andro, who invited us in. We got to see bottles of his distilled wine, which contains herbs and fruit. He experiments with lots of ingredients. It smelled good but strong! He showed us his distillation oven, his vines, and an open-air kitchen. They have an oven table that keeps the food and the people around it warm! Then, we got to see the room containing his qvevri, or gigantic clay pots that are placed underground. Next, we headed down to try a light and young dry white wine straight from his tanks. We followed that with a 3-grape rosé, which is basically a white wine spiced up with two different reds. It was light, young, and tasty, but very unique and didn’t feel fermented! Their 2-grape white was great as well! The soil contains limestone, flint, and others that affect the flavor and quality. Next was the Impossible Wine, which is made from two grapes that many people say you shouldn’t mix, but I liked it a lot! The Naturali Red was amazing, almost like an Italian wine I’d had. I could taste wild cherry and currants. Then, we headed up to his wine storage room, where he stores 48 different styles! I tried an aged white, which felt a little sweet. Then, I got to see where he bottles, labels, and corks his wine. Next was the agave dry white, which was sweet and contains honey and orange peel. The Dionysus red reserve was my favorite! We had chakapuli, eggplant stuffed with nigvzis sakmazi (walnut paste), potatoes, bread, and khachapuri. The chakapuli contains greens, beef, and chilies. The stuffed eggplant also had pomegranate on top and was very spicy! The chakapuli was earthy and fatty and made from grass-fed beef. I also loved the roasted potatoes with dill, the bean salad, and the jonjoli. The khachapuri contained lots of fresh cheese and was fantastic! Next, we drove 10-15 minutes to a guesthouse in Ateni. On the way, we stopped at Ateni Monastery, one of the oldest and holiest churches in Georgia. It dates back to the 7th-8th century! It’s a Georgian Orthodox church and has views of the valley and village. It’s made up of huge bricks and has some carvings on the exterior. Inside are gorgeous frescoes on the walls and ceilings. From there, we continued on to Nika Vacheishvili’s Guesthouse and Wine Cellar. We drove straight across a river to get to the guesthouse. There, we met Diana and checked out the rooms. They have a nice terrace where you can relax and slightly larger rooms on the top floor. On the grounds is a covered terrace and gardens where you can eat. They have lots of chacha and wines there! We started with some 60% chacha and then had green salad, beets cooked in plum sauce, eggplant, carrot salad, local cheese, mixed fried vegetables, and chakrakina (bread stuffed with beet leaves, herbs, and cheese). After Tim played some backgammon, I finished my night with some red wine! Where have you been? Subscribe Here! http://bit.ly/DavidsbeenhereSub Top videos! http://bit.ly/DavidsbeenhereTopVideos Follow Me: INSTAGRAM ►   / davidsbeenhere   FACEBOOK ►   / davidsbeenhere   TWITTER ►   / davidsbeenhere   MY BLOG! ► http://davidsbeenhere.com/ Contact Me: +BUSINESS EMAIL ► [email protected] #Davidsbeenhere #Ateni #Georgia #DavidInGeorgia About Me: My name is David Hoffmann. For the last 13 years, I have traveled the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have explored over 1,200 destinations in 84 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube channel, travel blog, and social media. I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local culture. P.S. Thank you for watching my videos and subscribing!