Observing bees was Zaza’s childhood hobby. He initially bred bees in the village of Muskhi and decided to establish a honey house and study apitherapy. The business was launched with one hive and today he owns a multi-functional farm. He started to teach beekeeping to the village children and was actively engaged in professional educational activities.
In 2015, Zaza became a member the Biological Farming Association Elkana and began to grow local varieties of wheat, including indigenous varieties such as dika, tsiteli doli.
In 2020, Zaza opened his farm to tourists and equipped the residential house to offer guests masterclasses in Meskhetian cuisine, including baking traditional tsiteli doli bread in purne (traditional Meskhetian bakery, typical to this region).
Visitors are hosted by Zaza and his wife, but in case of need, the fellow villagers help them too.
The agritourism farm is located on Akhaltsikhe-Saphara touristic route, in the village Ghreli. Tourists visit the farm and purchase honey (acacia, alpine) and other home-produced products such as fruit, bread, cheese, vodka, gozinaki, and mulberry bakmazi. Zaza’s family developed a touristic package that includes a visit to the orchard of local fruit species and the bee garden, participation in farmer’s living activities such as harvesting, bread backing, honey making, etc. The products used for cooking dishes are homegrown. Zaza’s work is an example of utilizing local resources and traditional knowledge.
“Hospitality for me is an expression of love and care; I don’t get tired of doing what I love” says Marina Nariashvili. Marina grew up in the city, but in the family Marina’s mother and grandmother always baked their own bread in a purne. According to family tradition, the first lavash made in their bakery is offered to their grandfather – in memory of their forebears. The family maintains this tradition and has installed another oven in their kitchen, also used for making lobiani and khachapuri.
Marina has been a member of Elkana, the Biological Farming Association, since 2009. Using her own finances she started her agritourism business with family members. They renovated their home, added extra rooms and facilities suitable for small groups and to host family holidays. The house is decorated with handicrafts, including some made by Marina herself, such as embroidery with beads.
Today the Hotel Edemi receives guests from all over the world, mainly through booking platforms and local guides and is a model for others in the region. Marina’s uses her culinary talents to offer traditional food in a family atmosphere, generating enormous demand from gastro tour organisers. Marina has recently received support from international organizations such as USAID ZRDA to instal outdoor kitchens, set up facilities for tasting Meskhetian cuisine and dining and promote gastro tours. Here, visitors can taste three types of bread: somini, titiani and khmiadi, as well as Meskhetian trout in grape leaves, goose and duck, lukhumi with mulberry bakmazi – the same as chirikhta with bakmazi. The hotel also serves homemade jams and other sweet preserves. Marina is co-author of a cookbook, Meskhuri Tabla.
Marina and Sergo’s farmhouse, Tirebi, was one of the first agritourism projects in the region. It welcomes visitors, providing fresh, natural products made by the host family on their own farm. The farmhouse is in Nakalakevi, 25 km from Aspindza town, at the foot of Tmogvi Fortress, in a quiet, relaxing area some distance from the village.
Sergo has been a member of Elkana, the Biological Farming Association, since 2008 and has participated in start-up programmes supported by international organizations. He renovated a single storey building with a veranda, four double rooms, a sitting room with a fireplace and a kitchen. There is a traditional Meskhetian purne, an outdoor dining area, and a twelfth century winepress on the farm. Guests can swim or fish in the nearby River Mtkvari as well as go horse-riding or explore hiking trails.
In 2015 Sergo and Marina expanded their business, building a Meskhetian style guesthouse on Vardzia road, near Tsunda Lake, which serves Meskhetian dishes.
Marina and Sergo’s farmhouse Tirebi is one of the first agritourism sites in the region, where tourists are welcomed and provided with fresh and natural products produced by the host family in their own farm. The farmhouse is located in Nakalakevi, 25 km from Aspindza town, at the foot of the Tmogvi fortress, in a quiet and cozy environment, distant from the village.
Sergo has been a member of the Biological Farming Association Elkana since 2008. He has also participated in start-up programs supported by international organizations and renovated a single-story building with a veranda, four double rooms, and a sitting room with a fireplace and a kitchen. There is a traditional Meskhetian purne, an outdoor dining area, and an XII century winepress on the farm. The river Mtkvari near the house gives the visitors the opportunity of fishing and swimming. The hosts offer horse-riding and hiking trails to visitors.
In 2015, Sergo and Marina added a second tourist facility to their business, which is constructed in the traditional Meskhetian style. The guest house is located on Vardzia road, nearby Tsunda Lake, and is popular for offering Meskhetian dishes.
Everyone knows Valodia’s family in this region. For a long time, Valodia was the director of the Vardzia Cave Museum and managed important cultural sites in the region. Today, his son Kakha continues this activity. In 2009, Valodia built an agritourism farm in the Koriskhevi area, 2 km distant from Vardzia Cave Monastery. The farm consists of a beautiful yard, an orchard, and terrace orchards with Meskhetian grapes, Marani (traditional wine cellar), and a bakery. Tourists enjoy dining in the outdoor dining area. The family has a cattle farm, trout farm, and bee colony and serves the guests fresh products.
Wooden cottages have 10 double bedrooms with their private bathrooms, while the stone buildings have 34 (including 1 room for the disabled). Guests have access to the conference hall and attractive outdoor seating areas. From the balcony of the cottages, there is a beautiful view of the Mtkvari river valley.
The hosts made their own investments in the business. Initially, tourism offers were created with income from agricultural activities and their own resources, and then the benefits of tourism were invested in their agricultural business.
The family is a member of the Biological Farming Association Elkana since 2008. Inga, Valodia’s daughter-in-law, said the most important thing is to create an environment that offers different opportunities, new experiences, emotions, and adventures to tourists by involving them in various activities and good interaction between host and guests.
“Even picking tomatoes is a great joy for tourists. If they like it very much, they even buy them”.
Every year the family tries to meet the new season with news and make its loyal customers happy.
Galina Inasaridze’s family was the first to revive the traditional technique of making Tenili cheese in small clay pots. Previously, it was only made for holidays such as Easter, and New Year, and for family consumption. The recipe for Tenili cheese is quite complex and differs from regular cheese in technique and consistency. When someone had a guest in the village, they called Galina and asked to make Tenili Cheese.
Currently, Tenili cheese making is the business of the Inasaridze family. Elkana’s New Year’s fairs are excellent support for her and the popularization of traditional products. “I started selling my products at markets and fairs. Tenili cheese has become popular among people. Now I distribute this product in 6-7 shops, cheese houses, and restaurants in Tbilisi”, says Galina.
The family has now expanded their business and offers guests cheese-making workshops and food-tasting sessions.
Conservation of agricultural biodiversity has been one of the main activities of the Biological Farming Association Elkana since 1996. The goal of Elkana is the restoration of endemic species and local varieties of ancient Georgian annual and perennial crops in danger of extinction, through their collection, propagation, selection, promotion and distribution with the participation of local farmers and the creation and promotion of collaborative short value chains. For this purpose, in 2004 Elkana founded the conservation farm “Seed Ark”. Its total area is 4.8 ha and is located in Samtskhe-Javakheti region, in the village of Tsnisi, at a distance of 6 km from the city of Akhaltsikhe. Samtskhe-Javakheti was not chosen by chance. It is one of the unique regions in terms of biodiversity of cultivated plants.
In the “Seed Ark” endemic species and local varieties of cereals and legumes are sown and propagated, and there is an orchard and a nursery of local varieties of apple and pear trees, all cultivated using an organic production system.
Visitors, farmers, students, tourists, other interested persons can see the plots of five endemic species of wheat – Chelta Zanduri (Triticum timopheevii Zhuk.), Kolkhuri Asli (Triticum palaeocolchicum Menabde), Macha (Triticum macha Dekapr & Menabde), Hexaploid Zanduri (Triticum zhukovskyi Menabde & Ericzjan) and Dika (Triticum carthlicum Nevski.), aboriginal varieties of Akhaltsikhe (Meshkhetian) Red Doli (Triticum aestivum L. var. ferrugineum), etc., both collection and larger plots. These wheats have been cultivated by Georgian people for centuries to bake exceptionally tasty, scented and nutritious breads.
Legumes formerly cultivated in Georgia for centuries and replaced by haricot beans for the past century, are now restored and propagated in the “Seed Ark” farm. These include chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.), faba beans (Vicia faba L.), grass peas (Lathyrus sativus L.), lentils (Lens culinaris Medic) and cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata L.Walp.). Dishes made from them have long history in Georgia. Here you will find an oilseed crop – flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), which had been cultivated and used in large quantities for centuries in Samtskhe-Javakheti region, but it almost disappeared in recent years. Here you will also find Ghomi (Setaria italica (L) Bour), which was the main bread grain for the population of Western Georgia before introduction of maize. Today corn has almost completely replaced it.
There is also an orchard of local apple and pear trees at “Seed Ark” farm. Apple varieties include Turashauli, Abilauri, Rdzevashli, Erbovashli, Msukana, Rakraka, Shakarnabada, Mzis Skhivi, Khvintsa, Tatena, etc; and pear varieties: Soselo, Inzhira, Nene Mskhali, Tsitelgverda, Zamtris Gulabi, etc. Single trees of these varieties are still found in some local orchards in the region.
The Seed Ark promises visitors a very impressive welcome. Tourists, students and those interested can see both collection and larger plots of endemic species and local varieties of wheat and legumes, an orchard and a nursery of local varieties of apple and pear trees, and learn interesting stories about the cultivation of these crops by the Georgian people for centuries. Guests can learn how to bake bread in Georgian Thone, taste aromatic bread baked from Akhaltsikhe (Meskhetian) Tsiteli Doli flour, and legume dishes.
Contact details
For additional information contact Elkana’s regional office in Samtskhe-Javakheti
Address: Akhaltsikhe, 0800, Shalva Akhaltsikheli st. #9.
E-mail: akhaltsikhe@elkana.org.ge
Phone: +995 365 22 02 46
For reserving a visit in the farm, contact:
E-mail: ruraltourism@elkana.org.ge
Phone: +995 598 38 80 75
Aluda Jvaridze, a farmer from Aspindza municipality, began restoring Meskhetian oda houses a few years ago. He enjoys living in Chobareti village and today manages an agritourism farm, Meskhuri Oda, in the village.
“I think that we should observe traditions and keep them for future generations. I try to save money in order to keep them alive… Some years ago I moved to the city but came back to the village. In the city, time flies but here time is slow, accordingly, I have more time to do things”, says Aluda. He owns livestock, producing Meskhetian tenili cheese, using almost forgotten cheese-making skills from childhood. Aluda decided to revive this tradition and established a small business in the village.
Today Meskhuri Oda is an agritourism farm, hosting visitors who come to enjoy Meskhetian culture and hospitality and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Visitors can see how tenili cheese and bread are made. Their hosts make Kada, Apokhti and Meskhetian Khachapuri using a purne that is two and a half centuries old.
Monastery Food, Monastris Nobati in Georgian, is a joint venture by three monasteries in the old village of Meskheti-Ude. The monasteries make a variety of products such as wine, meat products, honey, bread, snails and handicrafts. In one of the three religious houses, Ude Convent, visitors can taste traditional Meskhetian cuisine, wine, dishes made from snails and many others, all prepared by the gentle nuns in the monastery.
Ude Convent started making wine in 2010. Gradually the sisters developed other products and today they make dry meat (jerky) varieties called apokhti from pork, beef, chicken and duck. The nuns have their own snail farm and you can taste original snail dishes prepared by them. Marinated snails in elegant jars are also on sale.
In 2020 as a result of hard work and the initiative of Archimandrite Grigol, the Father Superior of these monasteries, the first Meskhetian vineyard was planted in Adigeni Municipality. There are nine grape varieties such as Tamari Vine, Black Aspindzuri, Meskhuri Mtsvane, Kharistvala, Klertmagari. The nuns and monks make the wine using their own secret methods and techniques, passed down through the decades.
Along with selling their produce, in 2017-2019 Ude Convent opened a tasting centre for visitors. You might sit at a table with Archimandrite Grigol to hear interesting stories about Meskheti, wine, grapes and so on. As well as tasting the wine you can buy some to take home together with other food products from the monastery that will remind you of your visit each time you taste them.
Making wine has been a centuries-old tradition for the Mumladze family in Atskuri village and the business is now run by father and son, Gia and Davit Mumladze. Previous generations of winemakers were also good craftsmen in clay and their qvevris (amphoras or vats) were well known throughout the region. Davit Mumladze relates that the family still has ancient winemaking equipment used by his grandfather which they show to visitors when telling the story of how their love of wine and winemaking comes from earlier generations.
Five years ago the family decided to turn a hobby into a business, turning the basement of the family house into a wine cellar. Each year they made further renovations to the house and this year completely renovated the first floor, restoring it to its original authentic style. They installed nine qvevris and built a tasting venue where visitors can try the wine and hear the family story of an ordinary Meskhetian man. At present the winery has the following varieties: Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtsvane and Muskati.
Mumladze’s wine is very popular within and beyond the region. They consider it their duty to maintain the family traditions and in future they plan to extend the business and preserve Meskhetian traditions related to wine.
“I have spent much of the past decade traipsing through mountain forests in search of ancient vines growing the way nature intended – close to trees. I found some vines that are more than 100 years old and one that I reckon is more than 400 years old”, says Giorgi Natenadze.
While searching for those vines, Giorgi discovered 40 rare grape varieties in the forests to the south of the country, near the border with Turkey and has identified 24 of them so far. Centuries ago the valuable local grape species were lost and in 2009 Giorgi restored the tradition of winemaking in the Meskheti region. Soon after, he poured the first Meskhetian wine, made in a qvevri using traditional Georgian winemaking methods and as he believes, the first ever wine made in the Meskheti (Samtskhe-Javakheti) region.
Today Natenadze’s Wine Cellar produces 14 types of red and white wines and the citizens of 11 countries across the world can enjoy unique Georgian wine. Giorgi’s wines are very quaffable and tasty with low alcohol and well balanced acidity. Each year he makes a different wine from these ancient varieties. Giorgi uses organic processes, dry-farming all grapes manually using no irrigation. He combines his curiosity to rediscover forgotten skills and knowledge with a passion to revive lost traditions and the ability to bring all this to a new, younger target audience in a modern, contemporary way. The labels on his wines are designed in street-art style and speak a fresh and unconventional language.
Apart from winemaking, Giorgi has developed a gastronomic facility in the historic Rabati district, where authentic Meskhetian dishes and wine occupy a leading place. He is a member of the Georgian Gastronomic Association and takes part in the world’s largest gastronomic exhibitions and competitions.
Niko Khachapuridze and his family manage their wine cellar in the village of Kvabiskhevi, Borjomi Municipality. It is a traditional Georgian cellar dating from the nineteenth century. The Meskhetian fireplace, a very old wooden winepress and qvevri enjoy pride of place here. The wine cellar appears on the Wine Map of Georgia and is very popular in the region and beyond.
Father and son started making wine in 2015 and since then host guests from all over the world. Here you can taste different Georgian and European wines such as Chinuri, Goruli Mtsvane, Rkatsiteli, Pinot, made according to Georgian traditions. Besides their wine, the family produces chacha and offers hands on classes in Meskhetian cuisine where visitors can bake bread in Meskhuri purne or make mtsvadi.
The Khachapuridze family has set up the Marani as a museum with a large collection of weapons, vessels and local historic exhibits such as carpets, agricultural and winery tools, as well as a variety of handmade crafts.
The family is noted for its hospitality. During your visit you can hear Georgian folk songs, try local wines, taste delicious food and discover more about winemaking in the region.
