Why go
Pheasant's Tears is a pioneering Sighnaghi winery founded by American John Wurdeman in 2007, named for a Georgian proverb that only wine worth drinking makes the pheasant weep. It stands at the forefront of reviving Georgia's 8,000-year-old qvevri tradition—fermenting grapes skin-on in buried clay vessels. The winery occupies a restored 19th-century house with a marani (wine cellar) where massive qvevri are sunk deep into the earth. Beyond exceptional amber and red wines, it offers a rare complete experience: the adjoining restaurant serves seasonal Kakhetian dishes—kachapuri, mtsvadi, foraged greens—crafted to pair with each pour, creating an unbroken chain between ancient method and present pleasure.