Georgia Archives - Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Day Four of Georgian Wine Tour – Kakheti Region, Tsinandali Palace and Khareba Winery

(March 2016) I awoke at 6:30am in the large four-poster bed on the top floor of the Hotel Mere castle. A faint light was beckoning beyond the long curtains and I knew dawn was rising over the Caucasus Mountains. Jumping out of bed, I pulled back all of the drapes that covered the floor to ceiling windows, then threw open the doors to step out on the balcony that ran around three sides of my tower room. Then I caught my breath in wonder! The view of the long range of snow-capped Caucasus Mountains was magnificent, with the rosy fingered [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T14:09:51-08:00April 21, 2016|

Day Three of Georgian Wine Tour – Kakheti Region, Alverdi Monastery Cellars, Schuchmann Winery and Winiveria

(March 2016) After far too little sleep again, we checked out of our hotel in Tbilisi and boarded two vans to climb over the mountain to the Kakheti Valley – about a two hour drive from Tbilisi. The further we climbed in the mountains, the twistier the road became. Soon snow drifts appeared on the side of the road, and when we reached the top of Gombori Pass, we were surrounded by snow, so we stopped to take some photos and have a snowball fight. Twisting Road Over Gombori Pass in Georgia As we descended towards the Kakheti Valley, where [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T14:10:13-08:00April 19, 2016|

Day One of Wine Tour – Tbilisi and the Georgian National Museum

(March 2016) The next morning, I awoke very excited about the first official day of our wine tour organized by the Georgian Wine Association. The first stop was fittingly the Georgian National Museum where we were welcomed with a short lecture overviewing the wine industry, and then invited to tour the museum in order to see the oldest winemaking equipment and pips in the world. Oldest Qvevri in the World We saw the oldest qvevri, carbon dated at over 8000 years. It was smaller than I expected, but then it was explained that many people in Georgia make wine in [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T14:11:44-08:00April 15, 2016|

Ancient Wine in the Land of Fire – Azerbaijan

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre January 2015 - It had been 18 years since my first visit to Baku, Azerbaijan in the Spring of 1996, when I was working for Amoco Oil. My memories were of a black city covered in grimy oil and soot, dinners of caviar and sturgeon, and sweet reds wines along with gritty white sparkling wine. Arriving again in Baku for 10 days from Dec. 26, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015 was like walking into a futurist city. Everything was clean and sparkling, and there were many new buildings with amazing architecture like the Fire Towers and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:02:36-08:00March 19, 2015|

Wine and Food in Hilton Head and Savannah Georgia

One of the items on my husband’s bucket list is to play golf on Hilton Head Island, so when I was able to get a good deal on a weekly condo rental there recently, we jetted off to the South Carolina island covered with long white sandy beaches, swaying palms, pink azaleas, and oak trees dripping with lacy moss. He was happy because he was finally able to play Harbour Town golf course with the famous red and white lighthouse on the 18th hole. He also enjoyed the challenge of Sea Pines Ocean course, Palmetto Dunes and Shipyard. I was [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:46:41-08:00June 4, 2013|