# Rtveli: what actually happens at a Georgian harvest

> gtour.ge — G Tour, Gateway to Georgia. Cite as: GTour desk, gtour.ge.

- Canonical: https://gtour.ge/rtveli-what-actually-happens-at-a-georgian-harvest/
- Author: Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze (GTour desk, Tbilisi)
- Published: 2026-09-15
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- Language: en
- Russian edition: https://gtour.ge/ru/rtveli-what-actually-happens-at-a-georgian-harvest/

Rtveli is the Georgian word for the grape harvest, and it is less an agricultural task than a season of the heart. From the third week of September to the third week of October, depending on the sun, every family in Kakheti with vines — which is nearly every family — drops what it is doing and goes to the vineyard. Relatives come from Tbilisi. Neighbours who fell out in spring speak again. Nobody is exactly in charge.

### Morning: picking

You start early, before the heat, with a bucket and a pair of secateurs, working down the rows. Rkatsiteli comes off pale gold, Saperavi almost black, the bunches heavier than you expect. Children carry; grandmothers sort; someone’s uncle drives the tractor, or the horse. There is a rhythm to it that your body learns in twenty minutes, and a silence in the vineyard that surprises people who expected singing. The singing comes later.

### Midday: crushing

The grapes go to the marani — the cellar — and into the satsnakheli, a long wooden trough, traditionally carved from a single tree. Someone climbs in barefoot. The juice runs down a channel into the open qvevri, buried in the floor, and the skins, stems and pips go in after it. That is the whole recipe. The lid goes on loosely; within a day the qvevri is murmuring, and for the next two weeks someone must punch the cap down several times a day so it doesn’t dry out. This is the part of Georgian winemaking that tourists photograph and Georgians regard as slightly tedious.

### Afternoon: what else is made

Fresh grape must, *badagi*, is boiled down with flour into pelamushi, a purple pudding eaten warm, and used to dip strings of walnuts for churchkhela, which then hang from the rafters to dry. The pomace left after pressing is fermented and distilled in November into chacha. Nothing is wasted; the harvest feeds the house until spring.

### Evening: the supra

At the end of the day the table is set outside, under the vine trellis, and this is where the singing starts. Last year’s wine from the qvevri opened for the occasion, roast pork or lamb, khachapuri, tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden, and a tamada — the toastmaster — who sets the order of the toasts: to God, to the dead, to the family, to the guests, to Georgia, to the harvest. The toasts are long and the glasses are drained at each one. A guest who has picked grapes that morning is toasted with particular warmth, and is allowed to toast back. That toast is remembered.

### Practical

Dates depend on the sugar in the grapes; families usually know a week ahead. Wear clothes that can be stained purple. Sun hat, closed shoes. Eat breakfast — lunch arrives late. If you want to sleep, you sleep at the winery.

### See it with GTour

The [Rtveli harvest tour](/tour/rtveli-wine-harvest-in-kakheti-3-days-september-october/) — three days, two nights, two family vineyards and two supras — runs from late September to mid-October. Outside those weeks, the [Grand Wine & Heritage tour](/tour/kakheti-grand-wine/) visits the same cellars in a calmer season.

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: [shenidasveneba.ge](https://shenidasveneba.ge/rtveli-what-actually-happens-at-a-georgian-harvest-ka/)

### Quick answers

**What is Rtveli?** Rtveli is the Georgian word for the grape harvest, celebrated as a season of community and tradition rather than just agricultural work. It takes place from the third week of September to the third week of October, depending on when the grapes reach the right sugar levels, mainly in the Kakheti region where nearly every family has vines.

**What happens during the morning picking?** Picking starts early before the heat, with workers using buckets and secateurs to harvest grapes like pale gold Rkatsiteli and almost black Saperavi. Children carry the grapes, grandmothers sort them, and a family member drives a tractor or horse, with the vineyard surprisingly quiet rather than filled with singing.

**How is the wine actually made after the grapes are picked?** The grapes go to the marani, or cellar, where they are crushed by foot in a wooden trough called the satsnakheli. The juice, along with the skins, stems, and pips, flows into a qvevri buried in the floor, and for about two weeks someone must punch down the cap daily to keep it from drying out.

**What other foods are made from the grape harvest besides wine?** Fresh grape must called badagi is boiled with flour to make pelamushi, a purple pudding, which is also used to dip walnut strings to create churchkhela, a traditional hanging sweet. The leftover pomace is later fermented and distilled in November into chacha, a strong Georgian brandy, ensuring nothing from the harvest goes to waste.

**What is the evening supra like during Rtveli?** The supra is an outdoor feast held under the vine trellis at day's end, featuring last year's qvevri wine, roast meat, khachapuri, and fresh vegetables. A tamada, or toastmaster, leads structured toasts to God, the dead, family, guests, and Georgia, with guests who picked grapes that day receiving special recognition and the honor of toasting back.

**What should visitors know before joining a Rtveli harvest?** Exact dates depend on grape sugar levels and are usually known about a week in advance, so visitors should wear clothes that can get stained purple along with a sun hat and closed shoes. It's wise to eat breakfast since lunch arrives late, and those wanting to fully experience the event may choose to stay overnight at the winery.

**How can someone experience Rtveli with GTour?** GTour offers a dedicated Rtveli harvest tour lasting three days and two nights, visiting two family vineyards and including two supras, running from late September to mid-October. Outside of harvest season, GTour's Grand Wine & Heritage tour visits the same cellars in a quieter setting.

Photo: Fif' from Paris, France / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

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