TBILISI, Georgia — Wine-tasting would be first on the day’s tour of the capital of Georgia — not the U.S. state, but the former U.S.S.R. satellite nearly halfway around the world from Dallas. Then we would have lunch followed by a city tour.

“This pretty much summarizes Georgian life,” said guide Tamara Natenadze. “First the wine. Second the food. And then everything else.”

“Everything else,” however, is no second fiddle in this far Eastern European country.

True, wine, which originated here in the Caucasus 8,000 years ago, and the cornucopia of local cuisine do infuse Georgian culture, but Tbilisi’s fortress dates to the fourth century, Old Town goes back several centuries, and sulfur hot springs were turned into baths in the 1600s.

The cosmopolitan city also has quirky modern architecture, tony cafes, quaint hookah joints, trendy clubs, galleries featuring local artists’ work, glittering lights and plenty of souvenir stands.

Outlasting the Soviet occupation

Eurocentric Georgians call the seven or eight decades the West Virginia-size nation was enmeshed in the U.S.S.R.’s grip the “Soviet Occupation.” It’s only been since 2003, when the Republic of Georgia finally threw off the lasting influence of the Soviets with its Rose Revolution, that the country has again begun to bloom. While still preserving traditions, it’s changed quickly in those 13 years, especially in Tbilisi, a metropolis of 1.2 million people.

“Tbilisi” means “warm,” and the name comes from the hot springs in the center of town. Brick domes built in the 17th century cover the springs, which are still used as hammams, or bathhouses. Children scramble through narrow passageways between the domes, using them as a playground.

Across the Mtkvari River an oversize statue of King Vakhtang on a steed stands atop a cliff overlooking the baths district, called Abanotubani, and the maze of twisting streets in Old Town. Many Old Town homes display wooden balconies carved like lace. Wrought-iron balconies depict flowers, swirls and curlicues.

Natenadze led our group for coffee on upscale Chardin Street, known for galleries, fashionable boutiques, hookah clubs and cafes. Four blocks north on King Erekle Street, the mocking KGB Still Watching You cafe displays “motivational” Soviet work posters, U.S.S.R. flags, photos of Nikita Khrushchev with Fidel Castro, and useless Soviet currency.

The country works hard to shake off leftover weight from its Soviet-era experience by using creative development downtown to show that the nation is changing. The pedestrian-only Bridge of Peace over the Mtkvari River looks like two huge mesh baseball caps glued back-to-back. At night it shimmers beautifully. Along the river, two huge silver tubes form the symphony hall and exhibition center, and nearly a dozen giant white “mushroom” roofs sprout over the Tbilisi Public Service Hall.

Multicultural traditions

This devoutly Christian country completed the gold-roofed Sameba, or Holy Trinity Cathedral, the primary cathedral for the Georgian Orthodox religion, in 2004. The urbane city also has Catholic and Armenian churches, a Jewish synagogue, a Zoroastrian fire temple and a mosque that is, Natenadze said, shared peacefully by Sunnis, Shias and other Muslims.

The Georgian National Museum with its Archaeological Treasury holds ancient, highly refined gold jewelry and artifacts as well as a permanent exhibit about the Soviet occupation. Naively, I asked Gano Charkseliani, a guide, where the Soviet section was.

“All the Europeans and North Americans care about is the Soviet occupation,” she snapped, “but this gold treasury is the real Georgia.” She proceeded to set the record straight: Some of the world’s first metal processing happened in the Caucasus with the mining of iron 7,000 years ago. By the third millennium B.C., she said, the best goldsmithing in the world was done here. She pointed out finely detailed pieces from 400 B.C.

Nonetheless, I also went to the dark and grim occupation exhibit. An ominous metal door from a prison stood isolated in the shadows. Identification papers and photos of Georgians executed by Joseph Stalin lined the walls. A current map showed the two areas within Georgia — Abkhazia and South Ossetia — that Russia currently occupies.

The daily downtown flea market running three-quarters of the way around a city block got me smiling again. Sellers spread out blankets and tables with curious Soviet war medals, antique necklaces, modern bracelets, old lamps, ceramic figurines, hand-knit sweaters and lots of books, new and old.

Wine, cheese, bread and song

After a traditional Georgian meal of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, eggplant with walnut paste and pomegranate seeds, olives, roast chicken and khachapuri — a pizzalike dough filled with locally made pale-yellow cheese — at Puris Sakhli (Bread House), I watched the baker shape dough into long ovals and, in the traditional way, press the loaves against the inside of a hot ceramic oven to bake. Ah, the heavenly smell of hot bread.

A Georgian saying goes: “A guest is a gift from God.” Nowhere is that welcoming spirit more apparent than at wine tastings of unique maroon- and amber-colored vintages. These organic wines are traditionally made in qvevri, 4-foot-tall beeswax-lined clay pots that, except for an opening on top, are buried underground for a year. The process has earned an “Intangible Heritage” designation from UNESCO.

A number of restaurants also feature Georgia’s traditional polyphonic singing which, with its counterpoint, metaphors and complex embellishments, won a UNESCO “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” listing. The musical style dates back over two millennia. We listened intently as four polyphonic male singers at Azarphesha Wine Restaurant sat at their table and, between courses, sang intricate songs a cappella.

Just one warning: If you travel to the little-known but charming Republic of Georgia, psych yourself up for a lot of “Have fun in Atlanta” jokes.

April Orcutt is a freelance writer who lives in California.

 

If you go

Getting there: United Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa all fly from Dallas. Tickets start around $1,168 round trip.

Where to stay: Holiday Inn Tbilisi is a centrally located, business-type hotel with an extensive breakfast buffet and an excellent restaurant for dinner. 1.26 May Square, 1-800-315-2621. hi-tbilisi.com.

Where to eat:

Puris Sakhli (Bread House) is both restaurant and bakery. 7 Gorgasali St.

Azarphesha Wine Restaurant serves traditional foods and wines and often has polyphonic singers. 2 Ingorokva St. azarphesha.com.

Kopala Restaurant has a patio with panoramic views of the Bridge of Peace, Mtkvari River, Narikala Fortress and Old Town. 8/10 Chekhov St. kopala.ge/en.

What to do:

Georgian National Museum & Archaeological Treasury: 3 Rustaveli Ave. museum.ge.

Public bath (hammam): Bath Bakhmaro. Visitors may rent towels and modesty sheets to wrap up in in the water. 5 Grishasvili St.

Wine-tasting: Vino Underground, 15 Galaktion Tabidze St. vinounderground.ge.

Tours:

Great Canadian Travel Co. 164 Marion St., Winnipeg, Manitoba. greatcanadiantravel.com/ destinations/the-caucasus.

Living Roots, 18 Baratashvili St., Sighnaghi, Georgia. travellivingroots.com.

More info: Georgian National Tourism Administration, 011-995-32 243 69 99, georgia.travel.