Market, Wine, Bread, Monastery

Mid morning we walked through the center of town to the agricultural market. Rows of stands were organized by type of food, vendors were friendly and helpful. We sampled nuts, cheeses, a fruit that tasted like a cross between an apple and a cherry, and a candle-shaped sweet called churchkhela.

Next stop was the Mosmieri winery where we learned that traditional Georgian wine is naturally fermented in clay casks underground for about six months. This wine has more tannin and alcohol content than European wines. Georgian wine is sometimes distilled to make chacha (45-55% alcohol). The winery also makes European wines which have a smoother taste. We tasted three Georgian wines accompanied by local foods that complemented each.

An hour’s drive took us to the Monastery of St. Nino, a pilgrimage site and her burial site. In the 4th century St. Nino convinced the Georgian king to become Christian, making Georgia the third country in the world to officially adopt Christianity. Now a nunnery, the church seems to have made it through the Soviet era without too much damage.

At the Nukriani Community Organization stop we learned how to make shotis puri (canoe-shaped bread), an onion-stuffed pastry, and churchkhela.

Back in the hotel about 5:00 PM. Chicken rice soup, bread, glass of wine in the restaurant next door for dinner.