Georgia among world’s lesser-known extraordinary destinations

Georgia has been recognised as one of the world’s top lesser-known extraordinary destinations by prestigious British newspaper The Telegraph.

In its Travel section, The Telegraph listed "10 extraordinary destinations you have never heard of”, and named Georgia’s famous wine-making region Kakheti on the list.

"You might not have heard of Kakheti but you’re almost guaranteed to have enjoyed its most famous invention: wine,” the newspaper wrote.

The author noted Georgians have been making wine for 8,000 years and there had recently been a revived interest in traditional wine-making techniques, with some of the country’s best wines now appearing on the wine lists at The Fat Duck, Hibiscus and Nobu.

"Highlights of Kakheti include … the Ikalto Monastery where Orthodox priests kept meticulous viticulture records, fortified sacramental wine cellars larger than the churches they supplied, and the vineyards and wine cellars of Lagvinari, Georgia’s premier wine producer.

The newspaper also mentioned the 3,000 year-old Uplistiske rock city with its industrial-scale wine presses among the Kakheti highlights, but the site is actually in Georgia’s Shida Kartli region, not in Kakheti.

The Telegraph’s list also included places in Sudan, Uzbekistan, Iran, India, Yemen, Russia and Argentina.