Category: Georgia

Introducing Made in Georgia magazine – issue 1, April 2021

April 5, 2021

In March 2021 I joined the team launching a new, free monthly magazine, Made in Georgia. Created as a project of the UK-Georgian Trade Hub, and supported by the Georgian Embassy in the United Kingdom, Made in Georgia brings together Georgian and British writers, journalists and designers to promote Georgian culture, places, food & drink, fashion, business and sport to the world. … More Introducing Made in Georgia magazine – issue 1, April 2021

Tipsy travels: a tour of Eurasia’s favourite drinks – for Bradt Guides

March 31, 2021

“For most of my travels I have been under the influence of alcohol. In my defence, I had to be: by a very fortunate twist of fate, I once worked as an analyst in the wine and spirits industry.

Covering the Eurasia region I travelled to several countries to discover what – and how much – the people in this part of the world drink. I learned that a country’s choice of tipple always reveals something great about their culture. Behind the data and numbers in my reports were hundreds of stories – not to mention some delicious memories”. … More Tipsy travels: a tour of Eurasia’s favourite drinks – for Bradt Guides

Working remotely from Georgia – for Lonely Planet

December 9, 2020

Georgia was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world in 2020 by the quality of life researchers Numbeo, and this is how it feels. The internet is great in Tbilisi – and in the second city, Batumi on the Black Sea – but disappears elsewhere. I learned this the hard way, when I went hiking in the Caucasus Mountains for the weekend, got avalanched-in, and went AWOL from work for two days. … More Working remotely from Georgia – for Lonely Planet

Getting drunk on my own in the former Soviet republics: Confessions of an alcohol analyst

April 2, 2020

It’s long past midnight in a rugged little town high up in the Caucasus Mountains, and I’m lying on my back in the middle of an icy street, gazing up at the stars. There is freezing air in my lungs, a mountain climb in my legs, and half a bottle of chacha in my veins. I am so happy I can’t move.

I arrived in northern Georgia from Tbilisi the night before, and booked a room in a guesthouse in Stepantsminda (also called Kazbegi), to make the trek up to Gergeti Trinity Church – one of the most beautiful places in the Caucasus.  … More Getting drunk on my own in the former Soviet republics: Confessions of an alcohol analyst

Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), Georgia

April 15, 2019

In the heart of the Caucasus Mountains, close to Georgia’s border with Russia’s North Ossetia, the village of Kazbegi is a breathtaking stop along the Georgian Military Highway.

People come here for the hike to Gergeti Trinity Church – a climb of 2170 metres (7120 feet) into the mountains. The trek through farmsteads and forests, and the view from the chapel, are stunning. … More Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), Georgia