Legends in a Glass: Samarkand Wine Tasting

Few travellers expect wine in Uzbekistan, yet grapes have been grown around Samarkand for many centuries, and the city has a winery with more than 150 years of history. A wine tasting in Samarkand is a relaxed way to end a day of sightseeing: a short museum visit, a guided tasting of local wines and cognacs, and a different angle on the city's past.

Key facts

• Where: the Khovrenko winery in central Samarkand, with its museum of winemaking and tasting room.
• Time needed: about two hours.
• What you taste: local wines — dry, dessert and fortified — and cognacs, according to the winery's usual programme.
• When: the tour runs daily; most people go in the late afternoon after sightseeing.
• Good for: adults who enjoy wine, couples, history fans and anyone looking for a calm evening activity.
• Age: for adults only.
• Book with: see the Samarkand wine tasting tour page or contact us; prices depend on group size and season.

A short history of Samarkand wine

Vines grew in the Zarafshan valley long before Russian rule, and grapes, raisins and grape juice have always been part of local life. Commercial winemaking in Samarkand began in the 1860s, when the Russian merchant Dmitry Filatov arrived in the city and started producing wine and spirits, first for the soldiers stationed there. His wines and spirits went on to win more than 20 awards.

In Soviet times the winery was named after Mikhail Khovrenko, a chemist and winemaker who led its wine and cognac production and created several of its well-known wines, among them "Farhad and Shirin", "Gulyakandoz" and "Aleatiko". The Khovrenko name is still used today.

The hidden cellar

The winery's most famous story dates from 1967, when hidden cellars were found on the grounds with thousands of old bottles and Filatov's inventory book. Some of these bottles and labels are on display in the museum.

What happens at the tasting

The museum

The visit begins in the museum, housed in Filatov's former home. It shows 19th-century winemaking tools, old bottles, labels from the Russian Empire era and historical photographs. A short talk explains how wine came to Samarkand and how the winery developed.

The tasting room

After the museum you move to the tasting room. You sample a series of local wines and cognacs, usually from lighter wines to sweeter dessert wines and stronger drinks, and each one is introduced with its story. Our tour data mentions tasting with dessert. Many visitors are surprised by the sweet and fortified wines, which are the local speciality.

Buying a bottle

Ask at the winery whether bottles are on sale on the day. Check the customs allowance of your home country and of any country you fly through before you buy several bottles.

How to fit it into your trip

The tasting fits well at the end of a sightseeing day: Registan, Gur-e-Amir and Shah-i-Zinda in the morning and afternoon, then the winery before dinner. It also suits a free afternoon if you have two full days in Samarkand. If you want a guided day first, see our Samarkand city tour and the Samarkand city guide.

Practical tips

• Eat something before the tasting — the samples add up, and some drinks are strong.
• Do not plan to drive afterwards; our driver takes you back to your hotel.
• Tell us in advance if anyone in your group does not drink alcohol, so the visit can be adapted.
• Pack bottles carefully in your checked luggage, wrapped in clothes.
• Samarkand is a city with a religious heritage: drink at the winery or in restaurants, not in the street or near mosques.

Plan it with TravelBliss

We arrange the tasting from your hotel in Samarkand: our guide and driver pick you up, take you to the winery and bring you back afterwards. The tour runs daily and can be combined with a city day. See the Legends in a Glass tour page for the programme. Prices depend on the number of travellers and the season — contact us for a quote.