Samarkand Wine Route
A Russian-era wine house in the city and a family estate in Toyloq district.
Uzbekistan has no official wine route; this is ours, and Samarkand province grows mostly table and raisin grapes.
Best time September and October, the grape harvest. Summers are hot and winters cold.
Chapter 5 of Silk Road Wine Trail · Uzbekistan
The stops
- Tour · Price: low Khovrenko Winery Founded in 1868, one of Central Asia's oldest continuously operating wineries. Russian merchant Dmitry Filatov established the winery using indigenous Uzbek grapes and European techniques. The underground cellars contain barrels over 150 years old.
- Tour · Price: moderate Bagizagan Organic Winery Family winery with 100+ years of history, now producing certified organic wines. Walk through century-old vineyards and taste wines made without chemicals, as the ancients did.
The story
Wine has been made at the Khovrenko combine in Samarkand since 1868, when the merchant Dmitry Filatov began it. Its museum is in Filatov's house, and a tasting room pours the combine's wines and cognacs. In 1967 a hidden cellar with about 3,700 bottles was found at the combine. About 19 km from Registan, Bagizagan in Toyloq district is a family estate that began as a Soviet wine point in 1964 and harvested its own grapes from 2007.
Plan the trip
Insider tip Tours to the Khovrenko combine usually start at Registan Square, about 2.3 km away. For Bagizagan, arrange a car or a transfer and book the visit ahead: the winery lists tours among its contacts.
Getting there and around
- Car required
- Yes
- Parking
- Hotels handle parking. Taxis easier than driving.
- Nearest airport
- Samarkand International Airport (SKD) - 20 min to city
- Drinking and driving
- Go with an arranged transfer to Bagizagan.
- Other airports
-
- Tashkent (TAS) - 4 hr by train, excellent service
- Without a car
- Samarkand is on the railway from Tashkent. The Khovrenko combine is in the city; Bagizagan is about 19 km out and needs a car or an arranged transfer.
If your time is short
- Do not miss
- If you only have one day
- If it rains
- The Khovrenko combine's museum and tasting room are indoors.