Georgia

Get ready to travel back to the very birthplace of booze, because Georgia has been throwing the world’s best wine party for over 8,000 years! Forget high-tech steel tanks; the Georgians keep it old-school and soulful by fermenting their juice in massive, beeswax-lined clay jars called Qvevri buried right in the ground. This ancient "amber wine" technique gives their whites a funky, dried-apricot punch and a grippy texture that’ll make your taste buds do a double-take.

While the Kakheti region is the heavy hitter for production, the real stars are the grapes: the bold, ink-dark Saperavi—a "teinturier" red that’s as deep and moody as a folk song—and the zesty, floral Rkatsiteli. Whether you’re at a marathon Supra (traditional feast) being toasted by a "Tamada" or just cracking a bottle of semi-sweet Kindzmarauli, Georgian wine is all about history you can taste, heart-pumping hospitality, and a big, boisterous Gaumarjos!