Esik, Enbekshikazakh district
Vineyards on the edge of Esik town, an hour east of Almaty. The Golden Man Museum and the Saka burial mounds are a short walk away, and Lake Issyk is up the gorge.
Meet the hosts
Slava makes craft cheese and natural wine right here among the vines, and his family motto hangs on the wall: cheese, wine and true friends must be aged by time. Together with Iren and their daughter Arina, he welcomes guests like old friends.