Ambrolauri

Ambrolauri is the administrative centre of Racha, a small town on the Rioni in a green mountain valley, and it is best known for what grows around it: the villages of Khvanchkara and its neighbours produce a naturally semi-sweet red wine from the alexandrouli and mujuretuli grapes, made without added sugar by arresting fermentation in the cold, and it carries the name of the village. A large concrete wine bottle stands at the entrance to the town as a monument to it. There is a small museum, a market and wooden houses along the river, and the town is the base for upper Racha, Nikortsminda and the roads toward Oni and the high valleys.

What you actually see

• The Khvanchkara wine district - alexandrouli and mujuretuli grapes in the villages.
• The giant bottle monument - the concrete landmark at the town entrance.
• Wooden houses along the Rioni - the town on its river.
• A base for Racha - roads out to Nikortsminda, Oni and the high valleys.

When to go

May to October; autumn brings the harvest and the best colour in the valleys. Half a day is enough for the town itself, more if you use it as a base. Winter roads into Racha are difficult.

Honest expectations

The town itself is small and plain. Wine sold under the Khvanchkara name is widely counterfeited; buy from producers in the villages. Roads in the region are rough and have been affected by landslides. Services are limited.

Nearby

Nikortsminda is west; Oni lies east up the valley.