Baku City Guided Wine Tour (snacks inbegrepen)

Ample samplings of various wines were provided and Jamaladdin helped to select the types we preferred (dry vs sweet, etc). We learned about the wine growing regions and about the history of wine in Azerbaijan that we certainly would have overlooked without a guide. The snacks at both locations were delicious and filling - I’m not sure we made it through everything. Note: We ran into a small issue related to my booking (I booked through Chase Rewards) and I simply called from WhatsApp and issue was quickly resolved - lovely people!

An interesting and fun way to learn about Azerbaijan and its wines. Jamal, our guide, was no wine expert, but he was a fount of knowledge about the country, its long history, and wine making that has existed for thousands of years. He used maps and pictures to highlight the various wine regions and their unique terroir and microclimates. At our first stop we tasted three wines and had our “light snack”, which consisted of a full charcuterie board with local meats, cheeses and fruits, a meal in itself. They gave us a generous second pour of the wines we liked, and while we enjoyed our wines and food Jamal explained many aspects of Azerbaijan. At the second stop we tasted three more wines and had a second, smaller snack. A great way to spend an afternoon, we learned a lot.

It was news to me that Azerbaijan had wine culture. So when I discovered that during travel research, I hunted for a wine tour in Baku. And hooboy, did we luck out! Riad reached out to me to organise our meet up, and waited patiently while we navigated through Baku traffic. (Thankfully, we were on time.) We were met by a small team, and were surprised to see we were the only 2 people in the group. This was a tragedy for the guides, as they had to listen to us talk the whole time, as we got progressively drunker. Riad chose 6 wines of different types. There was a mix of reds, whites, and rosés. He also introduced us to speciality fruit wines as well, one of which has become my all-time favourite. (I was gutted that I couldn't find a bottle at the airport to take home, but have since consoled myself that this is an excellent reason to revisit Baku.) We visited two wine bars, which were atmospheric and charming. Again, the poor guides had to deal with our stories, and my rapidly deteriorating state. I am not much of a drinker, so 6 full glasses of wine had me under the table pretty quickly. However, that is entirely on me, and I would like to point out that the pours were generous. We were also given amazing snacks, but the wine is genuinely the highlight. While I was still sober, Riad told us much about the history and geography of wine in Azerbaijan. I'm not going to give out any more details, because you must take this tour to savour those in full. The experience is 100% worth it.

It’s not that easy to meet someone for the first time yet it feels so welcoming and real. In addition to that, I very much appreciate the extra effort Ali has put to make sure I don’t miss my tour due to the parade happening on the same day. I couldn’t have enjoyed my tour more, also worth mentioning that Ali was excellent in English and made the tour extra memorable, the selection of the wine was excellent as well. Thank you again

I had a really nice evening chatting with Ali about Azerbaijan history and wine. The places we went to were really nice and there was also good food.

Great way to spend a last evening in Baku! I sampled 5 wines (pomegranate, quince, red, white, rose) accompanied by a delicious cheese and meat platter. The wine bar was very mellow and relaxing with a great vibe and it was nice to chat to Riad, the guide.

I had a great experience on this tour with my guide Ali! I had never tried Azerbaijani wine before, and Ali/the host restaurants provided great information on everything we tried. There was a generous amount of both wine and snacks, so I left full and content. I'd recommend this tour, and would especially ask for Ali if you can!

We had an absolutely brilliant evening on this wine tour. We tried at least 7 different Azerbaijani wines, from sweet to dry accompanied by a lovely platter of meats, cheeses and fruit. We had our wine tour on a Monday evening (7-10pm) and the bar we were in had a very nice atmosphere, not too loud and not too quiet! The staff were very attentive with their wine pouring as well as topping up our waters too and asking what our favourites were to tailor the experience. Riad was great company too; it was like spending your evening with an old friend. We enjoyed the football chat...in particular Liverpool! I'd say this tour is great value for money and I'd recommend if you're in Baku!

A wonderful afternoon spent trying a number of different wines (I lost count, but I think at least 8) in lovely settings. Ali, our guide, explained the differences in growers and bottling of each wine. I really enjoyed it.

Loved this tour. We didn’t know much about Azerbaijani Wine and Ali was able to introduce us to a few that we would have never tried on our own. Ali took us to two cute wine bars and he was also helpful in getting us to know more about Azerbaijani food and wine culture.