Silk Roads, Wine, and a Black Sea Tour of Georgia (The Country, Fellas)

A view of Georgia

Apparently, one of the most beautiful countries in the world, Georgia is little known as a tourist mecca, but that’s what makes it all the more unique. Known for it’s wine and lush clear mountains, she’s a country nestled between Russia and Turkey in the Caucasus. A rich blend of Eurasian architecture, beautiful Black Sea coast, and enticing wine regions, arguably the oldest in the world, this makes it an absolutely essential part of your next itinerary. And thanks to Silk Road Treasure Tours, travel specialists in destinations along the ancient Silk Routes, you can spend 8 days uncovering 8,000 years of wine-making traditions on its new “Wine and Black Sea Tour of Georgia.” We do love our wine…

A vineyard in Georgia awaits…

Whether it’s the vintage wines of Georgia’s five renowned growing regions or the architectural marvels that strike your fancy, you’ll be able to visit the traditional wineries of farmers in Kakheti and Kartli (sounds like the characters from Game of Thrones) to learn about wine production, or eight thousand year old storage methods invoking hand-crafted “Qvevri” (clay jars), and taste various wines in the vineyards of an American artist (Pheasant’s Tears), the modern winery of a German industrialist (Shuchmann Wines) and the cool cellars of Georgia’s ancient Alaverdi monastery. If your fancy runs to ancient myth, you will fall in love with Kutasi, the town of the legendary Golden Fleece, and Adjara, a small town along the Black Sea that’s home to the Gonio fortress, also linked to the tale of Jason and the Argonauts. Or you can simply breathe in the beauty of the UNESCO-famed Jvari and Svetitskhoveli cathedrals and admire the multicolored balconies of Tbilisi, while wandering the narrow streets of Georgia’s capital, which will earn you ample relaxation time in the sulfur baths known to have made an unforgettable impression on the likes of Pushkin, Lermontov, and Dumas.

Small group tours are offered with seven departure dates from August 18, 2012 to July 2013, starting at just $3,400 per person and we think that’s swell enough to swig.

www.silkroadtreasuretours.com/tours/georgia-tours/wine-tour

Prague, Czech Republic: The Buzz at The Four Seasons

How sweet it is! The buzz in the kitchen at Four Seasons Hotel Prague is starting to spread. In addition to the 27 (yes, 27!) talented cooks at Allegro, the Hotel’s Michelin-star Italian restaurant, there’s a rumour that 9.6 million specialty “chefs” have been recruited to make the food even sweeter. But these chefs don’t chop, sauté or bake.
In fact, they’re bees — literally! — property of Allegro’s longtime saucier, Vladimir Milfait. Go Vlad. We love a unique twist on luxury. During prime honey-producing months, he maintains 60 hives, each of them occupying up to 160,000 bees, because that’s what it takes to make the 500 kg that’ll keep the restaurant dripping in deliciously sweet honey for about a year.
Four Seasons Hotel, Prague

Why so much liquid gold? Well, from pastries to meat marinades and sauces, honey is a key ingredient on the menu. What makes this stuff so special is variety: Vladimir’s workforce creates oak, pine, and linden tree honey, all of which differ in scent, colour and consistency. This allows the restaurant’s other chefs — vastly outnumbered by their bee counterparts — to select the right flavour for the right dish.

Talk about a sweet retreat for you and your honey.

http://www.fourseasons.com/prague/dining.html