I hit the museum on a rainy day later in the week. My new design friend was right: the collection was remarkable. I learnt that Colchis is now Georgia, where goldsmithery first originated 5,000 years ago. Furthermore, ancient Georgians pioneered a unique method to prosper for gold, whereby a sheep’s fleece was attached to a wooden frame and left in a fast-flowing stream. Left for days or weeks, the fleece would catch gold particles in the water. It was then hung out to dry and combed, the gold from the fleece used to craft this exquisitely detailed jewellery. The story of Jason may have been myth but the Golden Fleece was based on fact.

Over my time in Tbilisi, I discovered that compact Georgia—think Tasmania—had long been defined by artistry and innovation, envied for millennia like a Caucasian Shangri La. It was the birthplace of wine some 8,000 years ago, the ancient Qvevri method of winemaking today protected by UNESCO. As is the Georgian alphabet (all three versions) and many of the thousand-year-old churches and monasteries adorning the countryside.

Not that Georgia is all ancient history. Tbilisi is home to a dynamic contemporary art scene and rivals Berlin when it comes to music and clubs. Despite the urban street cred, drive 10 minutes and you’re immersed in nature.

When I first arrived in Tbilisi I walked down Rustaveli Avenue, taking in the jumble of architecture, secondhand book stalls and good looking locals, falling for Georgia along the way. As light and temperature dropped, sealing the deal was my retreat into a wine bar just off Freedom Square where I had my first sip of Georgian amber wine. It was like nectar of the gods—and what better reason to return than a for life-changing glass of wine?

The Pursuit Of Georgia is a small group trip taking in the culture of Tbilisi, the Kakheti wine region and the breathtaking mountain scenery of Kazbegi. Over the course of 10 days, you’ll discover modern art, ancient gold, the Dionysion pleasures of Georgian wine, otherworldly churches and the pristine beauty of Georgia’s landscape. As well as its people, their proud, rich and moving heritage sure to capture your heart.

The Pursuit Of Georgia:

9 nights, 8-17 September 2025

AU$12,100 per person double, AU$14,900 per person single 

50% deposit with balance due 90 days prior to departure

The Pursuit Of Georgia is a small group adventure taking in the culture of Tbilisi, the Khaketi wine region and the breathtaking mountains of Kazbegi. You’ll discover modern art, ancient gold, the Dionysion pleasure of Georgian wine, otherworldly churches and the beauty of Georgia’s landscape.

Day 1-5: Tbilisi.

The Georgian capital has been coined the Paris of the Caucasus, with elegant streetscapes and a spirit recalling the 1920’s and 30’s, when artists and freethinkers flocked to the French capital, much as they have to Tbilisi in recent years. There’s a cafe, wine bar or bookshop on every corner and, for such a small city, an impressive lineup of galleries and museums.

Tbilisi’s cosmopolitan architecture is the first thing you notice—Early Medieval, Russian Classical, Art Nouveau, Moorish Revival, Belle Époque and Soviet—as well as traditional Georgian architecture, where houses in brick or plaster are adorned with carved timber balconies.

Check into Stamba Hotel, a swank retreat fashioned from the shell of a former Soviet publishing house. A rusted metal conveyor belt once used to move printed pages flows through a five-storey atrium, while 80,000 books line walls and surfaces—many of which were banned during the occupation. Interiors are industrial and luxurious, from guest rooms to library, concept store and the glamorous Pink Bar and Cafe Stamba, as well as in-house gallery, the Tbilisi Photography and Multimedia Museum.

Located in the hip Vera neighbourhood, its a short stroll down Rustaveli Avenue to the city’s best theatres, museums and galleries, as well as the postcard-pretty old town just beyond. Think art, architecture, walks and wine bars—and Georgian cuisine at the city’s best restaurants—as we bounce around cool and cultivated Tbilisi.

Day 5-7: Telavi.

It’s a two-hour drive northeast to Telavi, ‘capital’ of the Kakheti wine region. We check into Communal, a charming guesthouse in the centre of town. We’ll hit the old-school farmers market, Telavi Bazaar, and visit Alaverdi, a 6th century monastery and towering 11th-century cathedral. Settings don’t come more lovely: a rustic patchwork of villages and vineyards, the Caucasus surging in the distance.

When the Soviet Union occupied Georgia (1922-1991), they replaced centuries of indigenous grape varieties with the more homogenous Rkatsiteli and Saperavi grapes. They also replaced the slow and natural process of Qvevri winemaking—skin contact, where the juice, skins, stems and pips are sealed underground in giant terracotta vessels known as Qvevri—with industrial steel vats. The Georgian people, though, kept the Qvevri method alive in secret and have been replanting indigenous varieties since the fall of the Soviet Union, effectively reinvigorating 8,000 years of winemaking history. Today, alongside a legion of vintners, most Georgian families make their own wine.

Day 7-10: Kazbegi.

We take another road trip to Stepantsminda in the region of Kazbegi. The sleepy mountain town is home to Georgia’s third-highest peak, Mount Kazbeg (5054 m), the 700-year-old Gergeti Trinity Church and a modernist sanatorium with views of the lot, built back in the day for the Soviet elite. Situated at an altitude of 1,800 m, the sanatorium has been made over as the Bond-worthy alpine retreat, Rooms Kazbegi, home for the next three days.

We’ll hike—or drive, your preference—to Gergeti Trinity Church, built to celebrate the liberation from the Mongols in the 14th century. Another day we might just relax, immersed in the jaw-dropping beauty of the setting, getting together for meals and conversation, contemplating all we’ve seen. On the return to Tbilisi, we’ll stop to explore Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in the old capital of Mtskheta, a masterpiece of the Early-High Middle Ages.

The Georgian people kept the Qvevri method alive in secret and since the fall of the Soviet Union, have been replanting indigenous varieties, reinvigorating 8,000 years of winemaking history. Today, alongside vintners, most Georgian families make their own wine.

The Pursuit Of Georgia

9 nights

8-17 September, 2025

AU$12,100 per person double, AU$14,900 per person single

50% deposit with balance due 90 days prior to departure

See below for inclusions