Georgia

Georgia lies between the Greater Caucasus and the Black Sea — a country of snowy peaks, vine-covered valleys and its capital, Tbilisi, on the river Kura. Old Tbilisi tumbles down the hillside in houses with carved wooden balconies, the Narikala fortress rises above the river, and in Abanotubani brick domes crown the sulphur baths. Beyond them: design hotels, galleries and café life.

East of the capital, Kakheti spreads across the Alazani valley beneath the Caucasus: vineyards, wine cellars and the towns of Sighnaghi and Telavi. Archaeologists trace Georgian wine-making back some eight thousand years, and qvevri wine, made in clay vessels buried in the ground, is UNESCO-listed intangible heritage. Mtskheta’s centuries-old monuments are UNESCO-listed too, and mountains frame the horizon — snowy Kazbek and the stone towers of Upper Svaneti. On the Black Sea in Guria, Shekvetili has a long beach of dark magnetite sand lined with pines.

At the table: khachapuri, cheese-filled bread; khinkali, dumplings filled with spiced broth; churchkhela, nuts coated in thickened grape juice; Georgian cheeses and dishes of walnuts and fresh herbs. Summers in Tbilisi and Kakheti are warm; spring and the September–October grape harvest are usually the most pleasant times, and the sea season is roughly June to September. Georgia suits food and wine lovers, couples and design lovers, and anyone after a city-and-countryside break.