A Unique Winery Near Tashkent: Visiting Uzumfermer
“Wow, that’s so sweet” I said, swallowing a grape. I was standing under a canopy of almost translucent, blush pink grapes and our guide had just invited us to pick them and taste them for ourselves.
Uzumfermer is a family run winery near Tashkent, and it’s home to over 100 varieties of grape that they’ve imported from all over the world in the quest to produce the ideal Uzbek wine.
Uzbekistan isn’t usually somewhere that one associates with wine production, yet here I was on a hot August day, with three new Uzbek friends, and a mouthful of Jupiter grapes.
My first visit to Uzbekistan was a pretty classic tourist itinerary, covering the big sights of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. For my second visit, I wanted to get to know the country better, and that included the people.
One of those people was Nuriddin, who’d made this winery visit happen. I’ve written about my travels in Uzbekistan, and he’s started a travel company for bespoke tours in the country, Maver Travel, so we clearly had a shared interest. Over many emails back and forth, we became friends, and agreed to meet up when I was next in Tashkent.
It’s the kind of experience I love about travelling: something that you won’t find on the usual tourist itineraries, but ended up giving me a completely different perspective on a place.
Discovering Uzbekistan’s Wine Scene
When you think about wine tourism, it’s usually France, Italy, California, or South Africa that come to mind, right? What if I told you that Uzbekistan has a long history of wine production?
Under Soviet rule, many vineyards were ripped up, but there’s a growing resurgence in viticulture, with places like Uzumfermer near Taskhent, or Bagizagan and Khovrenko near Samarkand.
Because of the hot, dry climate in Uzbekistan, it’s not easy to grow the grapes, but the payoff is worth it. The wines are sweeter than you might expect, and you can taste the Uzbek sunshine in a glass.
On my most recent trip, I had a few days in Uzbekistan after a trip through neighbouring Tajikistan.
Nuriddin and I had already planned to meet when I made it to Tashkent, and agreed that a day out at Uzumfermer sounded ideal. On the day, he and some friends met me at my hotel, and we travelled out to the winery together. The drive itself was as much part of the journey, travelling through newer parts of the city with huge building developments and large university campuses.
I’d been to Tashkent before, but sitting in a car with three locals telling me about the development of their city and plans for the future was an absolute delight.
Once we arrived at the winery, we had time before our tour, so we got lunch on the patio. Over pasta and salad, we swapped stories about life in Uzbekistan and life in Europe before heading off on our tour.
What is Uzumfermer?
Uzumfermer, meaning “grape farmer”, is a family run winery near Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital.
Back in 2008, Rashid and Zimfira Akhunov bought the land to build a family holiday home. Both the Akhunovs were physicists by training, so what started out as a hobby planting fruit trees and a garden quickly turned into a large scale experimentation with grape varieties they imported from around the world. By 2017, this had turned into their first wine production, a development grant from the government, and Uzumfermer as a winery really kicked off.
Today, they cultivate over 100 types of grape, producing a wide range of white, red, and rose wines. The winery has gone from a family summer home to a facility that’s open to the public, including a 10-room hotel, onsite restaurant, and daily tours.
Part of what makes Uzumfermer interesting is the amount of experimentation that goes on here. The family has tested grape varieties and growing techniques from different parts of the world to work out what thrives in Uzbekistan’s hot, dry climate.
The Uzumfermer wine tasting experience
Arriving at Uzumfermer
Pulling into Uzumfermer’s estate, the first thing you’ll notice is the greenery. You’re immediately greeted by the vineyards, with the main house standing watch over them.
In the lobby of the main house, there’s a reception desk where you can buy wine to take home, or check in for your tour, or your room if you’re spending the night. The restaurant and tasting room takes up the top floor of the building, looking out over the vineyards and nearby mountains, while a patio seating area is in front of the house.
We chose to sit on the patio, for the view of the vines. Even on a hot August day, it was cool in the shade.
The menu is European, and for my fellow vegans, you’ll find simple pasta options like arrabbiata, and salads.
We had lunch first, before we were greeted by our guide for the day and taken off to explore the gardens.
The tour experience
Despite visiting Uzumfermer with three Uzbeks, Nuriddin had thoughtfully arranged for the tour to take place in English. He and his friends are all fluent in English, which is just as well because my Uzbek goes about as far as saying “hello” and “no meat, thanks”.
Our guide first took us through the beautiful gardens of the wine estate. The owners had designed this to look like different parts of the world, so you’ll find Japanese gardens, faux Roman ruins, Balinese gates and other touches that make it incredibly unique.
Afterwards, we made our way over to the vines themselves, as the guide talked us through their growing methods. Because of the hot Uzbek sun, many of the vines are grown in a canopy method, with a light mesh covering to protect it from sun. Once the bunches of grapes start to form, they’re often covered with mesh bags as a deterrent to hungry insects.
Unlike many appellations in Europe that are restricted to certain varieties, Uzumfermer is an exercise in experimentation. They’ve got over 100 varietals that they’ve imported and experimented with over the years, and we were encouraged to pluck the grapes directly from the vines and taste them for ourselves.
We visited in August, so many of the vines were full of ripe, sweet grapes.
Following the vineyard tour, we went into the production area. Growing grapes in Uzbekistan’s hot, dry climate comes with its own challenges. At Uzumfermer, they use cooling during the winemaking process to help manage the heat, an interesting part of producing wine in a place where summer temperatures can get up to 40°C.
We also got to see the aging cellar, where you can see barrels of everything from cabernet sauvignon to even their own version of Amarone.
The wine tasting
After the tour, we were shown into the upstairs tasting room, with huge windows overlooking the vineyards and distant mountains. As it turns out, I was the only one doing the actual tasting.
To my relief, I was given a spittoon. A few years back, in a vineyard near Nice, I was looking forward to a light tasting and planned to pour out most of the wine. The owner of the winery had the spittoon in his hand, took one look at the group and said “Oh you’re all European, we don’t need this” and put it away. Sorry, but this European does sometimes want the spittoon and I wasn’t about to be getting sloshed in front of my new Uzbek friends!
Spittoon nearby, I worked my way through six wines: a Riesling, Callisto, Rundweis, Nuara, MerryTash, and a Cabernet Sauvignon.
I particularly enjoyed the Riesling and the Cabernet Sauvignon.
What I appreciated most about the tasting was getting a glimpse into Uzbekistan’s developing wine scene. Uzumfermer is experimenting with grape varieties from around the world, adapting them to the local climate and finding its own place in a country that isn’t yet globally known for its wine.
And, of course, I left with two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon to remind me of the visit.
What I thought of Uzumfermer
I really enjoyed my visit to Uzumfermer, especially visiting with locals. There’s something quite unexpected about spending an afternoon in a winery near Tashkent, learning about the production and exploring gardens that were genuinely gorgeous.
I’d been to an Uzbek winery in the past, so I loved getting to see more of this side of the country.
Uzbekistan has a long history of winemaking, but it doesn’t have the same international familiarity as the big wine destinations like France or Italy. Visiting Uzumfermer gave me a chance to learn more about how local producers are experimenting with grape varieties and growing techniques suited to a hot desert climate.
If you’re spending a few days in Tashkent and enjoy wine, gardens or experiences beyond the usual sightseeing circuit, I’d recommend making time for Uzumfermer.
How to visit Uzumfermer from Tashkent
For my own visit to Uzumfermer, I travelled out with Nuriddin and his friends, and you can book a similar experience with Nuriddin himself.
How far is Uzumfermer from Tashkent?
Uzumfermer is located in Kattasuv, in the Qibray district of Tashkent Region, around 17–20 km from central Tashkent. By car, the journey typically takes around 30–40 minutes, depending on where you’re starting and the traffic.
This is really more of a half-day trip than a quick pop in, so build in enough time for the journey and the experience itself.
How do you get to Uzumfermer?
If you’re planning on doing the actual wine tasting, then you obviously don’t want to drive yourself.
If you’re not going as part of a tour, the easiest option is to take a taxi from Tashkent. You can use the YandexGo app or arrange a driver to take you there and collect you afterwards. If you’re planning to do a wine tasting, make sure you arrange a return journey rather than relying on finding a driver once you’re ready to leave.
When I visited, my friend Nuriddin arranged the outing and drove out with me and his friends. He’s building a bespoke travel business in Uzbekistan, so if you’d like to visit Uzumfermer as part of a more personalised itinerary, you can contact him
to discuss what might be possible.
Do you need to book?
Yes, I’d recommend contacting the winery ahead of time to book a tour, especially if you want an English speaking guide. You can reach out to Uzumfermer directly to make plans.
Final Thoughts
When you think of Uzbekistan, usually you think of blue tiled mosaics, gorgeous architecture, steaming pans of plov, and Soviet era remnants. Visiting a winery near Tashkent usually doesn’t make it onto the “things to do in the city” lists because it’s usually not something you’d ever think of.
For me, my first trip to Uzbekistan was focused on the typical tourist sights – and I’m not trashing them, they’re popular for a reason. If you’re in Uzbekistan, you absolutely should go see all the sights it’s famous for.
For my second trip, however, I had the luxury of going a bit deeper. I’d already visited Registan, wandered the alleys of Khiva, and I wanted more of the country, not a repeat. As I’d developed a friendship with Nuriddin through many back and forth emails, of course I wanted to try meet while I was in Tashkent.
I already knew it’d be fun to meet, but I got the added bonus of meeting his lovely friends, spending a day out somewhere that doesn’t tend to make it onto the tour bus itineraries, and being really present. Regardless of whether you have your own local companions or not, Uzumfermer is definitely worth a visit.
After all, how often can you start a story with “When I was in a winery in Uzbekistan….”?
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