The Land of the Golden Fleece & The Sorceress Medea

Imereti

I step into the humid, lush forests of Imereti, where the Rioni River thunders through white limestone canyons. This is the mythical Kingdom of Colchis, where Jason and the Argonauts once sought the Golden Fleece, and where medicine and magic were born from the hands of Princess Medea.

Prometheus & Sataplia

Caves

Kutaisi

Center

6,552 km²

Area

487,000

Population

Famous

Cuisine

Written byBBGeorgiaTravel Team•Updated 2026-01-20

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Wine Regions Comparison

Compare Georgia's premier wine destinations

Region	Wineries	Grape Types	Wine Style	Best For	From Tbilisi
Kakheti	600+	525 endemic	Qvevri (UNESCO)	Complete wine immersion	1.5-2 hrs
Imereti Current	40+ boutique	Tsitska, Tsolikouri	Lighter qvevri	Caves + sparkling wine	3.5 hrs
Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti	20+ family	Alexandrouli, Mujuretuli	Natural semi-sweet	Rare Khvanchkara wine	4.5 hrs

Kakheti

View full guide

Wineries

600+

Grape Types

525 endemic

Wine Style

Qvevri (UNESCO)

Best For

Complete wine immersion

From Tbilisi

1.5-2 hrs

Explore Region

CURRENT REGION

Imereti

View full guide

Wineries

40+ boutique

Grape Types

Tsitska, Tsolikouri

Wine Style

Lighter qvevri

Best For

Caves + sparkling wine

From Tbilisi

3.5 hrs

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Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti

View full guide

Wineries

20+ family

Grape Types

Alexandrouli, Mujuretuli

Wine Style

Natural semi-sweet

Best For

Rare Khvanchkara wine

From Tbilisi

4.5 hrs

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About This Region

Imereti is the vibrant, green heart of Western Georgia. Here, the humid air is thick with the scent of boxwood and honeysuckle, and time seems to move in cycles of ancient myths. The capital, Kutaisi—one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities—was the center of the Colchis civilzation 3,000 years ago. It is a land of white stones, deep caves, and legendary abundance. According to Greek myth, it was here that Medea, the sorceress and daughter of King Aeetes, helped Jason steal the Golden Fleece, a story that likely grew from the actual Svanetian practice of catching gold flakes in sheep fleeces Georgia.Travel: Country of the Golden Fleece.

The region's landscape is a masterclass in karst geology. Descend into the Prometheus Cave to witness 1.4km of illuminated stalactites, or stand atop the Katskhi Pillar, a 40-meter limestone monolith where a lone monk lives in a tiny cell atop the sky . In the 12th century, King David the Builder founded the Gelati Academy, hailed as the 'New Athens' or 'Second Athos' of its time, where the greatest minds of the era studied science and philosophy. To visit Imereti is to taste the sun in a slice of Imeretian Khachapuri and to feel the weight of a thousand years of Colchian gold.

What Makes It Special

The Myth of Argonauts: Kutaisi (ancient Aia) is the setting for Jason's trial by King Aeetes to win the Golden Fleece.

Medea's Apothecary: The term 'Medicine' is often traced back to Medea of Colchis, a master of herbal healing and chemistry.

The 'New Athens': Gelati was a world-renowned center of Neoplatonism in the 12th century UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Gelati Monastery.

Dinosaur Footprints: Sataplia Reserve preserves 120-million-year-old tracks of both herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs.

Karst Wonders: Home to some of the deepest and most beautiful cave systems in Eurasia, including Prometheus Cave.

The White City: Kutaisi's architecture is defined by local white limestone, giving the city a bright, luminous presence.

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byBBGeorgiaTravel Editorial• Local Experts•20. sij 2026.

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