Most travellers arrive in Uzbekistan expecting endless green tea and not much else. Then they discover that Samarkand has been making wine for well over a century in its modern form — and for a couple of thousand years before that, if you count the ancient vineyards of the Zarafshan Valley. Uzbekistan is a Muslim-majority country, but it is also a determinedly secular one with a Soviet past, and the drinks landscape reflects both: tea-house ritual, wine museums with dusty medals, licensed liquor aisles, vodka toasts at family feasts. This guide covers the wineries worth visiting, the local drinks you should not skip, what alcohol availability is really like, and the etiquette that keeps you on the right side of your hosts.
Uzbekistan’s Surprising Wine Story
Grapes are one thing Uzbekistan has never lacked. Hot, dry summers and relentless sunshine push sugar levels in the fruit sky-high, historically that meant table grapes and raisins more than wine, especially after Islam arrived in the 8th century, but winemaking never disappeared, and the Russian colonial era revived it at industrial scale. Today the vineyards around Samarkand, Tashkent and the Fergana Valley produce mostly sweet and semi-sweet wines that suit the local palate, plus a growing number of dry wines aimed at visitors. Do not come expecting Burgundy. Come expecting something genuinely different, often dessert-styled, occasionally excellent, and always a good story.
Khovrenko Winery: Samarkand’s Wine Museum
The heart of the story is the Khovrenko Winery in Samarkand, founded in 1868 by Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Filatov, whose wines went on to win medals at international exhibitions in the late 19th century. The winery still operates, producing wines, brandies and spirits, and it houses a small Museum of Winemaking that displays old bottles, equipment and the international awards the factory has collected over 150-plus years. Visits typically combine the museum with a guided tasting of around ten wines and brandies — heavy on the sweet, fortified styles the factory is known for. Tastings are usually arranged through tour agencies or by booking ahead rather than walk-ins, so plan a day in advance; details and reviews are on Tripadvisor’s Hovrenko Wine Factory page. The winery remains open to visitors as far as we can verify (last checked: July 2026), but arrangements in Uzbekistan change without much notice, so confirm locally before building your day around it. See our Samarkand travel guide for how to slot it between the Registan and Shah-i-Zinda.
Bagizagan: Vineyards in the Zarafshan Valley
About 15 km outside Samarkand, Bagizagan is one of Uzbekistan’s largest wineries and the most polished wine-tourism experience in the country. The estate runs a full production cycle from vine to bottle in the Zarafshan River Valley, where the family behind it counts five generations of grape growers. Visits include a walk through the vineyards, an explanation of production, and a tasting that typically covers around six wines plus brandies and chacha (the fiery grape spirit borrowed from neighbouring Georgia). Reports from recent visitors put the full tasting experience at roughly US$40–50 per person, with tastings offered late morning to mid-afternoon and Sundays off, treat those specifics as indicative rather than gospel and reconfirm when booking (last checked: July 2026). Bagizagan has also opened a boutique hotel with a tasting cellar near Samarkand’s railway station. Advantour’s Bagizagan page has background and booking pointers.
Uzumfermer: A Family Winery near Tashkent
If your trip starts and ends in the capital, Uzumfermer is the easiest tasting to arrange. This family-run winery 17 km from central Tashkent, established in 2008, grows a startling range of grape varieties on 15 hectares of vines. Tastings — usually six or so wines, paired with cheese and fruit, happen in a pleasantly rustic garden setting, and advance booking with a small deposit is expected. It is a half-day trip from the city and a gentler, more personal experience than the big Samarkand factories. Between the three producers, you can build a legitimate mini wine trail across Uzbekistan, which still surprises almost everyone we mention it to.
Beyond Wine: The Drinks Locals Actually Drink
Green Tea: The National Drink
Nothing else comes close. Green tea (kok choy) is drunk before, during and after every meal, in homes, offices and the traditional teahouses called chaikhanas. It is served in a small pot with handleless bowls called piala, with a ritual attached: the host pours a bowl back into the pot three times to develop the brew, then serves guests a deliberately half-full bowl — a sign of respect that invites you to linger for refills. Black tea is more common in Tashkent; green dominates everywhere else, and it is free or nearly free with meals. We cover the full ceremony, and the rest of the table manners that go with it, in our Uzbek culture and etiquette guide.
Kompot: Fruit in a Glass
Kompot is the drink of Uzbek home cooking: seasonal fruit, cherries, apricots, apples, dried fruit in winter — simmered with sugar and served chilled. It is a Soviet-era staple that survives because it is delicious, and you will find it in cafeterias, guesthouses and family homes far more often than soft drinks. A glass usually costs pennies (a few thousand som) where it is charged at all. If you see it on a menu, order it; it goes especially well with plov, as we note in our complete Uzbek food guide.
Ayran and Fermented Dairy
Ayran is a salty yoghurt drink, cold and slightly sour, and it is the single best thing to drink alongside heavy Uzbek food in summer, it cuts through lamb fat like nothing else. You will also encounter katyk (a thicker fermented yoghurt) and, in rural areas, kumis — fermented mare’s milk, an acquired taste: fizzy, sour, faintly smoky. Ayran in a cafe costs roughly 5,000–10,000 som. Stick to commercially produced or restaurant-served versions if you have a sensitive stomach.
Beer: Sarbast and Friends
Uzbekistan has a modest but real beer culture. The big national brands are Sarbast (brewed under Carlsberg’s wing) and Pulsar, both easy-drinking lagers built for hot weather, and Tashkent has a handful of brewpubs pouring unfiltered draft — Qibray is a name locals mention. A bottle of local beer runs around 15,000–25,000 som in shops and roughly double that in restaurants; imported beer costs noticeably more. Beer gardens and terrace bars are a normal part of summer life in Tashkent and Samarkand, and nobody will look twice at you drinking one.
Vodka: The Soviet Inheritance
Vodka is the legacy spirit, and it still anchors celebrations, business dinners and family feasts, especially among older generations. If you are invited to a toast, know the norms: toasts are made standing or seated with a short speech, glasses are drained (or at least sipped meaningfully), and refusing outright can read as cold, though pleading health, medication or religion is universally accepted and nobody will push hard in our experience. Local vodka is startlingly cheap, from around 30,000–50,000 som a bottle in shops. Pace yourself: hosts refill empty glasses automatically, and the plov keeps coming.
Alcohol Availability and Etiquette in Uzbekistan
Here is the honest picture. Uzbekistan is over 90 percent Muslim by heritage but constitutionally secular, and alcohol is fully legal, socially normalised in many settings, and easy to find. The legal purchase age is 21. Supermarket chains such as Korzinka have licensed liquor sections, dedicated vino-vodka shops exist in every city, and most tourist-oriented restaurants in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva serve beer and wine, with many also pouring spirits. Hotels aimed at foreigners almost always have a bar.
That said, availability thins out as you move away from tourist zones. Traditional chaikhanas and small local canteens are often dry, some family-run guesthouses prefer you not to bring alcohol in (ask first), and in conservative areas like the Fergana Valley you will see far less public drinking. During Ramadan, restaurants generally keep serving alcohol to tourists in the main cities — Uzbekistan does not shut down the way Gulf countries can — but some smaller places quietly stop, and drinking conspicuously in the street during the fasting month is poor form anywhere. Public drunkenness is frowned on year-round and street drinking is not the norm; keep your drinking to restaurants, bars, hotels and private settings and you will never have a problem. A useful local overview of the current rules and reality is Tourfixer’s alcohol-in-Uzbekistan guide.
On cost: alcohol is one of the cheaper line items in an already inexpensive country. As a rough guide (prices drift with the exchange rate, see our Uzbekistan travel costs breakdown for current figures):
| Drink | Shop price (approx.) | Restaurant price (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Local beer (0.5 L) | 15,000–25,000 som | 25,000–50,000 som |
| Local wine (bottle) | 50,000–120,000 som | 120,000–250,000 som |
| Local vodka (0.5 L) | 30,000–50,000 som | By the 50 ml shot |
| Winery tasting (Bagizagan) | — | ~US$40–50 per person |
| Pot of green tea | — | Free–10,000 som |
A few etiquette points worth internalising:
- Never assume your hosts drink. Offer nothing, accept graciously if offered, and follow their lead.
- If you join a vodka table, eat as you drink — that is what the endless salads are for.
- Declining alcohol is completely fine; raising your glass of kompot or tea for the toast keeps everyone happy.
- Do not drink near mosques, madrasahs or during religious observances, and keep bottles out of sight in the street.
- During festivals like Navruz the drink of the moment is sumalak and tea, not wine, read our Navruz and festivals guide before a spring trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can tourists drink alcohol in Uzbekistan?
Yes, legally and easily. Uzbekistan is a secular state; alcohol is sold in licensed shops and supermarkets and served in most tourist restaurants, bars and hotels. The legal purchase age is 21. The only real constraints are social: drink in appropriate venues, stay composed in public, and be a little more discreet during Ramadan and in conservative regions.
Is Uzbek wine actually good?
It is interesting more than it is world-class, and that is the right frame to enjoy it. The hot climate produces very ripe grapes, so the tradition leans sweet and fortified — dessert wines and brandies are the strengths. Newer producers like Bagizagan and Uzumfermer make credible dry wines too. Go for the history and the novelty; you may leave pleasantly surprised.
How do I visit the Khovrenko winery in Samarkand?
Book ahead rather than turning up, tastings and museum visits are usually arranged through local tour agencies, your hotel or guesthouse, typically a day in advance. The visit combines the winemaking museum with a guided tasting of around ten wines and brandies. Arrangements do change, so reconfirm locally (last checked: July 2026).
Is alcohol served during Ramadan in Uzbekistan?
Generally yes in tourist-focused restaurants, hotels and shops in the main cities — Uzbekistan does not impose a public ban. Some smaller local places pause service, and visible street drinking during the fasting month is disrespectful. In short: your trip will not be dry, but read the room.
What non-alcoholic drinks should I try in Uzbekistan?
Green tea from a piala in a chaikhana is non-negotiable. Beyond that: kompot (homemade fruit drink), ayran (salty yoghurt drink, perfect with plov), fresh pomegranate juice in autumn, and sumalak if you are lucky enough to be here for Navruz. Tap water is not recommended; bottled water is cheap and everywhere.
Can I bring Uzbek wine home?
Yes, within your home country’s duty-free limits — typically a couple of bottles. Wineries and vino-vodka shops sell bottles suitable for packing; wrap them well in checked luggage, and check current customs allowances if you plan to carry more than two or three.
Uzbekistan’s drinks scene is one of its quietest pleasures: a 150-year-old winery hidden a few streets from the Registan, a cold ayran after a plate of plov, a pot of green tea that turns into an hour of conversation. Drink curiously, toast generously, and let the chaikhana set your pace. For what to eat alongside all of it, start with our Uzbek food guide — and come hungry.
Featured image: Redhatstudiophotography (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
