The perception of rosé has been changing towards more serious and worth drinking year-round, but admit it: it's still THE kind of wine you want to guzzle while floating on your inflatable flamingo.

Summer is the ultimate rosé season. While Provence and pink Spanish blends still dominate supermarket shelves, Georgian rosé deserves a place in your ice bucket too.

Qvevri, amber wine and other clay-fermented wines are no longer niche topics reserved for wine geeks but a part of a global conversation. One of the people bringing clay wines on a bigger stage is Isobel Salamon, an international judge, consultant, and clay-fermented wine expert who is a passionate advocate of Georgian wine, too.

There are countries people visit for landmarks, and there are countries people remember through conversations, meals and toasts that somehow turn into life advice. As you can guess, Georgia firmly belongs to the second category.

We spoke with boutique tour operators Janice Kirkwood and Sue Dempsey, whose Eating Adventures focus on food, wine and local experiences rather than checklist tourism.