Category: Uzbekistan

The story of Uzbek wine – an interview with Visit Uzbekistan magazine

July 8, 2022

For the April 2022 issue of Visit Uzbekistan magazine I spoke with its editor, the writer and travel journalist Megan Eaves, about Uzbekistan’s wine and spirits culture, which I used to research as part of a job in the Central Asian alcohol industry. Our chat begins on page 29 of Visit Uzbekistan issue 32, which can be read and downloaded here. We talk about what makes Uzbek wine special, what plans the country’s vineyards have for the future, Uzbekistan’s spirits industry, and much more besides. … More The story of Uzbek wine – an interview with Visit Uzbekistan magazine

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

My photographs in SEnECA’s ‘Daily Lives in Central Asia’ exhibition (BOZAR, Brussels – April 2019)

February 9, 2019

On 4 and 5 April 2019, two of my photographs will be displayed at the photo exhibition ‘Daily Life in Central Asia’, at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels. … More My photographs in SEnECA’s ‘Daily Lives in Central Asia’ exhibition (BOZAR, Brussels – April 2019)

Memories of Chorsu Bazaar – Tashkent, Uzbekistan

January 4, 2019

I dreamed of Uzbekistan for 12 years. Imagining being under an Uzbek sky – wandering through a market,  exploring, talking with people, taking their photograph, savouring every taste, sound and smell – became a preoccupation. Then it became an obsession: with each year that passed, overdrawn, tied to a different life, this journey seemed more impossible, until just the word ‘Uzbekistan’ made me upset. I gave up on my dream, and resigned myself to always feeling this way. … More Memories of Chorsu Bazaar – Tashkent, Uzbekistan