Rtveli is the Georgian grape harvest, the main autumn celebration in Kakheti. From late September through October families head to the vineyards, tread grapes in a wooden satsnakheli and fill the clay qvevri. This is not a tasting you watch from the side: you pick the clusters with your own hands, stomp the grapes and sit down at the harvest feast.
Route: Tbilisi → Telavi (family winery)
Rtveli is both the grape harvest and a family celebration lasting from late September through October. For Georgians it is not farm work but a tradition thousands of years old: the whole family gathers, neighbours are invited, and the shared labour ends in a great feast.
We drive to a small family estate in Kakheti where you are welcomed as one of their own. First the vineyard: you cut clusters with secateurs, fill the baskets and walk the rows of Saperavi and Rkatsiteli. Then the satsnakheli, the wooden treading trough, where grapes are crushed by bare feet and the juice runs into the qvevri.
The young must is poured into qvevri, clay amphorae buried in the ground, where the wine ferments with skins and pips. The qvevri method is on the UNESCO heritage list. The hosts show and explain everything: it is a conversation between people, not a tourist programme.
Timur explains how Georgian wine is born: why grapes ferment in clay, how the Kakhetian method differs from the European one, why qvevri wine is called amber wine. You taste young wine straight from the season and homemade chacha. To understand the season in advance, read: Kakheti in Autumn.
We leave Tbilisi in the morning and, two hours later, arrive in Kakheti among the vineyards of the Alazani Valley. First comes the picking: the hosts hand out baskets and secateurs and show you how to cut the clusters without harming the vine. Then the best part, treading the grapes by foot in the satsnakheli. The feeling is unforgettable, and children love it most of all.
After treading, the must is poured into the qvevri, and the hosts explain what happens next: six quiet months of fermentation underground. Then the supra, the harvest feast, with young wine, fresh bread from the tone, cheese, Kakhetian dishes and a tamada raising toasts. This is the real rtveli: not a tour watched from outside, but a day lived alongside a Georgian family.
Timur is with you all day: translating, introducing you to the hosts, telling the stories of rtveli and the Georgian feast. You are not a tourist in a crowd but a guest of the family. Ask anything, help at every step, and feel how wine is born from grapes exactly as it was here a thousand years ago.
If you want the real rtveli rather than a staged one, message me ahead and stay flexible on the date by a week or two. Grapes do not wait: once ripe they are picked, and the best days depend on the weather. I take guests to a family in Telavi who have kept qvevri since 1978 and welcome visitors like relatives. Wear clothes you do not mind staining: after the satsnakheli your feet and shirt will be purple, and that is the best part of the day.
The rtveli tour departs from your hotel in Tbilisi between 09:00 and 10:00, returning by 19:00-20:00. The day includes grape picking, treading in the satsnakheli, filling the qvevri and the harvest feast. I drive; you take part and enjoy. Group: up to 7 people, your party only.
Rtveli is a seasonal tour: it is only possible during the harvest, from late September through October. The exact date is set by the ripening of the grapes, so book ahead and allow a couple of days of flexibility. Bottled wine from the previous vintage can be bought from the hosts for GEL 8-15 a bottle (the same costs GEL 25-40 in Tbilisi).
Wear comfortable clothes you do not mind staining: during picking and especially treading, grape juice gets on clothes and feet, and that is part of the fun. Bring a spare t-shirt, light shoes, a hat and sunscreen: the autumn Kakhetian sun is still warm.
Ready to book?
Timur is a private tour with a 4.9 rating, groups of up to 7, hotel pickup, and 10% deposit to confirm. Response within 24 hours.
More about the private tour →No, the work is light and fun. Picking and treading grapes is more play than labour, and children love stomping the grapes. For families it is the highlight of the trip. Wear clothes you do not mind staining.
Yes. Bottled wine from last year's harvest can be bought from the hosts and carried in checked luggage with no quantity limit. The young must from the qvevri is still fermenting and will not travel; liquids over 100 ml are not allowed in carry-on.
Rtveli runs from late September through October — the exact dates depend on the grape variety and the weather. White varieties are picked earlier, red Saperavi later. Book ahead: the peak season is short, only 3-4 weeks.
Rtveli happens only during the harvest, late September through October. If you travel at another time and simply want to taste finished wines, take the Kakheti wine tasting, available year-round. Tell me your dates and I will suggest the best option.
Related Tours
Kakheti Wine Tasting · Kazbegi Day Trip from Tbilisi · Kakheti in Autumn
Wonderful trip to Kakheti! The wine was amazing — everyone should visit Georgian vineyards at least once.
Very good guide. We had a great time! The program was tailored to us, recommend!
Excellent guide. Showed and told us everything about sunny Georgia. Speaks great English and Russian.
You have no idea how much I enjoyed it. Nice tiredness, nice people, delicious food. Thank you very much.
Highly recommend if you want the best advice and travel services across Georgia.
We went to Kazbegi — Timur convinced us the special atmosphere was worth it. Snow by the church, silence. The most romantic day of the trip.