Gurjaani Wine Festival in Georgia: dates, meaning and how to experience it

By Mariam Lomidze, GTour desk · Fact-checked against the sources listed · Last checked 25 October 2026 · Editorial policy

What it is

The Gurjaani Wine Festival (in Georgian, Gurjaanis Ghvinis Festivali — “Gurjaani’s Wine Festival,” from ghvino, “wine,” and the international loanword festivali) is an annual public celebration of the harvest held in the town of Gurjaani, in the eastern wine region of Kakheti. It is organized around the autumn grape harvest, known in Georgian as rtveli, and brings together producers from across the Gurjaani municipality and neighboring Kakhetian villages to pour their new and aged wines for visitors in one place.

The festival is celebrated by winemakers, farming families and the wider public rather than by any single confessional or ethnic group; it is a secular, municipal event rather than a church feast, though it shares the same autumn calendar as church-blessed harvest customs observed throughout Kakheti. Visitors describe it, with reason, as Georgia’s largest single-day wine gathering: hundreds of household and commercial producers set up tables and pavilions beside stalls selling churchkhela (strung nuts dipped in grape-must paste) and shoti puri (boat-shaped bread baked in a clay tone oven), alongside cheese, honey and folk-music performances.

Historical background

• c. 6000 BC — Archaeological evidence from Neolithic sites in the wider South Caucasus region of Georgia, including grape-pollen and residue analysis, points to some of the earliest known deliberate winemaking anywhere, a tradition that took root especially in Kakheti’s clay-rich soils.
• Antiquity–early medieval period — Kakheti emerges in Georgian written tradition and material culture as the country’s principal grape-growing region, its buried clay vessels, or qvevri, becoming the defining technology of Georgian wine.
• 11th century — Kakhetian monastic estates, including those around Alaverdi, maintain extensive vineyards as part of church landholding, linking viticulture to religious life in the region.
• 19th century — Under Russian imperial administration, Kakhetian wine, including produce from the Gurjaani district, is marketed more widely across the empire, and commercial cellars begin to supplement household qvevri production.
• Soviet period — “Gurjaani” becomes a recognized semi-dry white wine appellation name within the Soviet wine industry, produced at scale in state and collective wineries and distributed across the USSR.
• 2013 — The ancient Georgian traditional qvevri winemaking method is inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, formally recognizing the technique still used by many Gurjaani-area households.
• 2000s–2010s — Local authorities and producers in Gurjaani establish a dedicated autumn wine festival at Akhtala Park, consolidating what had been scattered village harvest gatherings into a single large civic event.
• Today — The festival is held on the second Saturday of October, drawing producers, tour groups and Tbilisi day-trippers, and is promoted as part of Georgia’s national tourism calendar through bodies such as the Georgia National Tourism Administration and the National Wine Agency.

Gurjaani’s prominence rests on geography as much as ceremony. The municipality sits on the alluvial plain below the Caucasus foothills, in a wine-growing belt that historically supplied both monastic cellars and, later, state enterprises with grapes such as Rkatsiteli and Saperavi. The amber (skin-contact) white wines and deep reds associated with Kakheti owe their character to the qvevri method: whole clusters, including skins, stems and seeds, ferment and age in large earthenware vessels buried below ground, a technique practiced continuously in the region for millennia and now protected as intangible cultural heritage.

The modern festival is a comparatively recent civic institution layered onto this much older agricultural calendar. Where villages once marked the end of the harvest with family and church-centered gatherings, Gurjaani’s municipal authorities and local producers built a single large public festival that could showcase dozens of small cellars alongside established wineries, turning a private agricultural rite into a public cultural export and a draw for international visitors.

Meaning and traditions

At its heart the festival follows the same hospitality rules that govern any Georgian supra (feast table): a tamada, or toastmaster, proposes structured toasts, answered with the exclamation gaumarjos (“victory to you,” used as “cheers”). Pavilions pour free or low-cost tastings of qvevri-aged whites and reds, young unfiltered wine, and chacha, the grape-pomace spirit distilled after pressing. Food stalls sell churchkhela, shoti puri, Kakhetian cheeses, walnuts and grilled meats, and folk ensembles perform Georgian polyphonic singing, a tradition inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List, alongside dance groups in regional costume.

Regional variation matters to understanding what makes Gurjaani distinctive. Kakhetian winemaking, including that practiced around Gurjaani, is defined by long skin contact in qvevri, producing the amber wines for which the region is internationally known; western Georgian regions such as Imereti use smaller qvevri with shorter skin contact and different blending customs, while Racha is associated with naturally semi-sweet reds. Visitors moving between regions will notice these differences directly in color, tannin and sweetness, and festival pavilions are usually labeled by village or producer, giving a rare single-site comparison of Kakheti’s micro-terroirs.

When it happens

The festival is traditionally held on the second Saturday of October, following the main grape harvest in Kakheti. The exact date is confirmed each year by municipal and regional organizers rather than fixed by statute, so travelers should check closer to the date. In 2026 the festival fell on 10 October; the next edition is expected on 9 October 2027, to be confirmed by organizers nearer the time.

It is not a national public holiday in Georgia: government offices, banks and most businesses in Tbilisi and other cities operate normally. Locally in Gurjaani, however, shops and services around Akhtala Park adjust hours to the event, and parking and some roads near the venue are restricted for the day.

Where to experience it

The festival is centered on Akhtala Park in Gurjaani, Kakheti, typically running from late morning into the evening. Visitors walk between rows of producer tents, sample wine poured directly from plastic cups or small glasses, buy churchkhela and bread fresh from clay ovens, and watch staged folk-music and dance performances. Many producers also sell bottled wine to take away, and some offer informal explanations of qvevri methods at their stands.

Travelers combining the festival with nearby sacred sites, such as Alaverdi Cathedral or Kakheti’s monasteries, should dress modestly: covered shoulders and knees, and a headscarf for women, are expected inside churches, and visitors should avoid loud conversation or photography during services. At festival pavilions themselves, etiquette is informal, though accepting a toast graciously, rather than refusing outright, is appreciated.

Did you know

• Georgia’s qvevri winemaking method has been formally recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage since 2013.
• Archaeological research on Neolithic sites in Georgia points to some of the earliest known evidence of grape winemaking anywhere in the world.
• “Gurjaani” was used as a specific semi-dry white wine appellation name across the Soviet Union, making the town’s name familiar to wine drinkers far beyond Georgia long before the modern festival existed.
• Georgian polyphonic singing, regularly performed at harvest festivals, is separately inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• Kakheti, where Gurjaani sits, remains Georgia’s principal grape-growing region, supplying the majority of the country’s traditional qvevri-made wine.

Practical tips for visitors

Gurjaani lies roughly two hours by road east of Tbilisi via Kakheti’s main highway. A seasonal passenger train also connects Tbilisi with Kakheti, operated by Georgian Railway, though schedules should be confirmed in advance, particularly on festival weekends when demand is high. Early October weather in Kakheti is generally mild by day and cool after sunset, so layered clothing and comfortable walking shoes are advisable, along with cash in Georgian lari for food and wine purchases at pavilions, since not all small producers accept cards. Accommodation in Gurjaani itself is limited, and many visitors base themselves in nearby Telavi or Sighnaghi instead, booking rooms well ahead of the festival date. GTour arranges a private driver or guide for the day for travelers who prefer not to navigate festival-day road closures themselves.

Combine it with

The festival sits naturally within a wider tour of Kakheti’s vineyards, monasteries and walled towns. Many visitors pair it with a day trip from Tbilisi, and some extend the route through Mtskheta-Mtianeti on the way back, combining the ancient capital of Mtskheta with Kakheti’s harvest season.

Questions travellers ask

Is the Gurjaani Wine Festival free to attend?

Entry to Akhtala Park on festival day is generally free of charge, though individual producers may charge small amounts for larger tastings or bottled wine purchases.

Is it different from the Tbilisi New Wine Festival?

Yes; the Tbilisi event is a separate, later-autumn celebration held in the capital, while the Gurjaani festival takes place in the vineyards of Kakheti itself and is organized by local municipal and producer bodies rather than national organizers.

Can children attend?

The festival is family-friendly in atmosphere, with food stalls, music and dance performances suitable for all ages, though wine tasting areas are naturally oriented toward adults.

How do I get from Tbilisi to Gurjaani?

Most visitors travel by private car, shared minivan (marshrutka) or organized tour along the main Kakheti highway; a seasonal train service also connects the two, though road transport is more flexible around the festival’s traffic.

Can I buy wine to bring home?

Yes, bottled wine is widely available for purchase from producer stands; travelers should check current customs allowances for alcohol before departure, as limits apply when leaving Georgia by air.

What should I wear?

Casual, comfortable clothing suited to walking outdoors and cool autumn evenings is appropriate; modest dress is required only if visiting churches or monasteries on the same trip.

Is the festival date fixed every year?

No; it is traditionally held on the second Saturday of October but is confirmed annually by organizers, so the exact date should be checked closer to the time of travel.

Does the festival close roads or affect daily life in Gurjaani?

Some streets and parking areas near Akhtala Park are restricted for the day, but it is not a national public holiday, so businesses elsewhere in Georgia operate as usual.

Sources

• UNESCO ICH — Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method
• UNESCO ICH — Georgian polyphonic singing
• Georgia National Tourism Administration
• National Wine Agency of Georgia
• Georgian Railway
• Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia