South Caucasus: Why I Love This Place

Annie Lucas is Vice President of MIR Corporation. She’s deeply drawn to many parts of the world, especially to the South Caucasus.

The South Caucasus countries of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan are quite simply my favorite destinations. Why do I have such a strong affinity for this region?

• Bold architecture
• Gorgeous landscapes
• Fabulous table traditions of food and wine
• Distinctive and diverse cultures
• Beautiful languages from ancient alphabets 
• Outstanding musical traditions

…Need I go on?

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• A live a capella concert in Armenia’s Temple of Garni. Photo credit: Richard Fejfar
• This view of Georgia’s Tsminda Sameba Church is unforgettable. Photo credit: Peter Guttman
• Mt. Ararat seen from Armenia. Photo Credit: Martin Klimenta
• Armenia’s blue-green Lake Sevan, at over 6,200 feet, is one of the largest alpine lakes in the world
• Traditional dancing in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo credit: Devin Connelly
• Azeri carpets in Baku. Photo credit: Ana Filonov
• Horsemen of Svaneti, Georgia. Photo credit: Gotita Bukhaidze

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Food, Glorious Food!

One of the most enjoyable aspects of travel to the South Caucasus is undoubtedly the wide range of exceptional dishes and beverages available. Regional favorites include Caspian Sea sturgeon kabobs with pomegranate sauce served in Azerbaijan, as well as vegetarian delights made from eggplant, walnuts and mouth-watering cheeses found in Georgia and Armenia. 

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• Cheeses paired with organic wines from Pheasant’s Tears Winery. Photo credit: John Wurdeman
• A sampling of Georgia’s fresh, delicious foods at a Georgian Table feast. Michel Behar
• Georgian singers harmonize at a legendary Georgian Table feast. Photo credit: Michel Behar
• Making lavash, Armenian flatbread. Photo credit: Martin Klimenta
• Khinkali, here made in Tusheti for a festival. Photo credit: Shota Lagazidze
• A variety of appetizers to begin a feast. Photo credit: Jake Smith

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Let’s not forget the bread!’

Sometimes very thin, other times an elongated boat shape (called pirosmani), and always regionally distinct, nothing tops the fresh Georgian bread available at the local bakeries in the country’s capital, Tbilisi.

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Tbilisi’s Restaurant Scene: Better Every Day

Tbilisi, Georgia is emerging as a modern foodie destination, with wonderful new restaurants popping up all over town. One of the newest is called Poliphonia Tbilisi. Located in the historic Sololaki district, it offers an inspired, rotating menu of Georgian fusion dishes, highlighting the country’s distinctive culinary regions, and prepared from organic, local, and seasonal ingredients.

Azarpesha is a chic wine restaurant with a classy interior decorated with old photos and antique drinking vessels. Cuisine is contemporary Eastern-Mediterranean/Georgian fusion using local seasonal ingredients. Groups can enjoy a full Georgian Table here, with dozens of dishes, toasts, and polyphonic singing.

The exclusive Barbarestan restaurant is set in an old-fashioned Georgian apartment, furnished with antiques and “Grandma’s old furniture.” The cuisine is a fresh, local, modern take on the 19th century recipes of Duchess Barbara Jorjadze. The extensive wine cellar is from the 19th century as well.

Land of the Vine

To wash down these flavorful foods is an equal pleasure. Georgia claims to be the land where the wine grape was first cultivated, and its ever-evolving viniculture industry is perhaps the most sophisticated anywhere at this crossroads of Europe and Asia.

Georgia’s organic wine movement, with wines fermented inside qvevri, or clay vessels, buried in the ground, is nothing new – it’s been going on here for about 8,000 years. If you’re into wine, this is fantastically interesting stuff to learn about, and to sample.

Some time ago I had the pleasure of meeting Isabelle Legeron, otherwise known as “that crazy French woman.” Her mission? Introducing the world to wonderful natural wine like that found in Georgia. She made a believer out of me, a big fan of Belgian beer.

Brandy Tales

But there’s another grape-based beverage highly worth seeking out in this neighborhood – Ararat Brandy, produced in Armenia since 1887. The most famous story goes that Stalin gave a bottle to Winston Churchill at the Yalta Conference, and it promptly became Churchill’s favorite brandy, to the tune of hundreds of bottles delivered annually.

Who knows if that’s really true? Regardless, it’s the favorite of many brandy and cognac connoisseurs, and a great souvenir to savor, while it lasts. It’s part of the spirit of the South Caucasus, along with my favorite foods, wines, tales, and traditions.

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More Photos of the South Caucasus

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• Artist Niko Pirosmani often painted crescent-shaped Georgian bread into his pictures. Photo credit: Georgia Tourist Board
• The three Flame Towers in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo credit: Jered Gorman
• Mt. Ararat, seen from Armenia. Photo credit: Devin Connolly Devin Connolly
• Singers at Armenia’s Temple of Garni. Photo credit: Peter Guttman
• Guamarjos! An often-heard toast in Georgia. Photo credit: Richard Fejfar
• Even in the winter, Georgia is the place to be. Photo credit: John Wurdeman

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