Rtveli, the Georgian grape harvest: when it is and how to join

How to join Rtveli: the best harvest experiences

The best way to join Rtveli is the Real family harvest by Eat This! Tours, because you pick with a family on the day of its own harvest and the grapes go into that year’s wine, from about £109 (375 GEL). The Every Day Rtveli wins on fixed dates and guaranteed grape treading, and the Sighnaghi harvest day on free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Best for a family's real harvest
Real family harvest12 hours, up to 15from about£109a person for 1 day375 GEL Book See the day
Best for fixed travel dates
Every Day Rtveli12 hours, up to 8about£135a person for 2 to 4465 GEL Book See the day
Best for free cancellation
Sighnaghi harvest day12 hours, up to 15about£107a person at checkout142 USD Book See details
We may earn a commission. You pay the same.

Rtveli, Kakheti
Pick 1 of 3Travellers who want the real thing
Real family harvest
from about£109a person for 1 day, 375 GEL
Book with Eat This!
Real Family Rtveli: 1-day and 2-day harvest tours. Run by Eat This! Tours.
Pick with a family on the day of its own harvest; the grapes go into that year's wine.
The winery may be set only two weeks ahead, and rain can turn the day into a harvest simulation.
- 12 hours11 to 12 in all, back 20:00 to 22:00
- Up to 15in a shared group; 7 or more book private
- 2 mealslunch and a supra dinner, wine included
- About £29100 GEL deposit, refunded 14+ days out
The dayAbout 08:30 to about 21:00
1. About 08:30Pickup in Tbilisi; the time moves with the winery and the heat
2. About 10:00A cultural stop, when the drive allows (which one varies)
3. About 11:00Pick grapes with the family, usually for 30 minutes to 1.5 hours
4. About 12:30Food and wine in the vineyard or at the family home
5. About 13:15Unload the grapes and help process them at the cellar
6. About 16:00A cooking lesson: khinkali, khachapuri or mtsvadi
7. About 17:00The supra, with a tamada and free-flowing wine
8. About 21:00Back in Tbilisi, usually between 20:00 and 22:00
Show all 8 stops
Why it's great, and who should skip it
Why it's great
- The grapes you pick are the family's real harvest, processed at its cellar for the year's wine.
- Lunch, then a supra dinner with a tamada and free-flowing wine, with the winemaker or the family.
- A cooking lesson from the family and the winemaker's own wines, from a cellar making under 15,000 bottles a year.
- A deposit of about £29 (100 GEL) holds your place; the rest is paid on the day.
Skip it if
- Your dates are fixed and you want to tread the grapes for sure: the Every Day Rtveli.
- You might cancel inside two weeks: the Sighnaghi harvest day cancels free up to 24 hours before.
- You would rather eat and drink across several days than work a harvest: see a wine and food tour.
In the price
- Picking with the family and processing the grapes at its cellar
- Lunch, then a supra dinner with a tamada and free-flowing wine
- The winemaker's wines, from a cellar making under 15,000 bottles a year
- A khinkali, khachapuri or mtsvadi lesson (dishes vary)
- Transport from Tbilisi, entry fees and water
Not in the price
- Tips (the operator suggests about £26 (90 GEL) a group)
- A refund if rain turns the day into a harvest simulation
CancellationA deposit of about £29 (100 GEL) a person, returned only if you cancel 14 or more days before; the rest is paid on the day. If rain or the grapes stop the harvest, you move to another winery or a harvest simulation on the same date, with no refund.
Price checked 29 September 2026.
Alaverdi, on the day's route
Pick 2 of 3Travellers on fixed dates
Every Day Rtveli
about£135a person for 2 to 4, 465 GEL
Book with Eat This!
The Every Day Rtveli: harvest day in Telavi wine country. Run by Eat This! Tours.
A harvest day built for guests, every day in season, with grape treading guaranteed and 8 guests at most.
Not the family's own harvest, and a full refund only if you cancel more than 14 days ahead.
- 12 hours08:30 to between 20:15 and 21:00
- Up to 8in a small group
- Every daylate August to early November
- Treadinggrapes trodden underfoot, guaranteed
The day08:30 to about 20:15
1. 08:30Pickup in Tbilisi, then honey on the Gombori Pass or fresh bread
2. 10:45Telavi market (Telavi guests join at about 10:30)
3. 11:30Brunch and 3 to 4 wines at an independent winery
4. 13:30Alaverdi Monastery, or Ikalto
5. 14:15A qvevri maker's workshop, 2 wines and a chacha
6. 16:00Pick grapes and tread them at a family vineyard
7. 17:00Khinkali class and a mini-supra with 3 to 4 wines
8. About 20:15Back in Tbilisi, by about 21:00
Show all 8 stops
Why it's great, and who should skip it
Why it's great
- Grape treading is guaranteed, in gumboots, and barefoot is sometimes possible.
- It runs every day from late August to early November, in any weather, so it fits the dates you have.
- A qvevri maker's workshop, brunch at an independent winery and a khinkali class before the mini-supra.
- The price a person falls as the date fills, down to about £119 (410 GEL) for 7 or 8.
Skip it if
- You want a family's real harvest, with the grapes going into its wine: the Real family harvest.
- Your plans might change in the last two weeks: the Sighnaghi harvest day cancels free up to 24 hours before.
- You want a picking day inside a longer trip: check which September tours of Georgia include one.
In the price
- Picking and treading grapes at a small family vineyard
- A qvevri maker's workshop, with 2 wines and a chacha
- Brunch and 3 to 4 wines at an independent winery
- A khinkali class and a mini-supra dinner with free-flowing wine
- Telavi market, Alaverdi or Ikalto, transport, entry fees and water
Not in the price
- Tips (the operator suggests about £26 (90 GEL) a group)
- Travel insurance
CancellationFull refund more than 14 days before; the deposit is kept from 14 days; 50% is charged within 7 days, or only the deposit if others take your places; nothing back within 36 hours
Price checked 29 September 2026.
Sighnaghi, on the day's route
Pick 3 of 3Anyone whose plans might change
Sighnaghi harvest day
about£107a person at checkout, 142 USD
Book with GetYourGuide
We may earn a commission. You pay the same.
Authentic Georgian Rtveli in Kakheti from Tbilisi. Run by Rauls Company, booked through GetYourGuide.
Bodbe and Sighnaghi, then picking, pressing and a churchkhela class at a family winery, and a supra.
Lunch is extra, up to 15 share the minibus, and the morning goes on Sighnaghi, not the vineyard.
- 12 hoursfrom 08:00, from central Tbilisi
- Up to 15in a minibus
- 8 wineswith cheese and a chacha
- Freecancellation up to 24 hours before
Why it's great, and who should skip it
Why it's great
- Free to cancel up to 24 hours before, and you can reserve now and pay later.
- Picking and traditional pressing at a family winery, then a churchkhela class and a chacha tasting.
- Bodbe Monastery and a walk in Sighnaghi on the way, and a supra with a tamada to end the day.
- Eight wines and cheese through the day.
Skip it if
- You want a family's real harvest, with the grapes going into its wine: the Real family harvest.
- You want lunch in the price and 8 guests at most: the Every Day Rtveli.
In the price
- Grape picking and traditional pressing at a family winery
- A churchkhela class and a chacha tasting
- 8 wines and cheese
- A supra dinner with a tamada
- Guide and minibus from Tbilisi
Not in the price
- Lunch in Sighnaghi
CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours before; reserve now and pay later
Price checked 29 September 2026.

How much does a harvest day cost?

A harvest day from Tbilisi costs from about £107 (142 USD) to about £135 (465 GEL) a person, and all three end with a supra dinner and wine; lunch is extra only on the Sighnaghi day.

Rows of vines running to a line of cypresses at Akhasheni, Kakheti, in June — What one person pays for each harvest day by the size of your group, on prices checked 29 September 2026. Eat This! prices are the most you pay; the Every Day Rtveli falls as a date fills.

Can you book the Sighnaghi harvest day direct?

Yes. Vitis Travel sells a day with the same name and itinerary on its own site for about £88 (102 EUR, reduced from 120) a person, against about £107 (142 USD) on GetYourGuide. GetYourGuide refunds in full up to 24 hours before and includes the supra dinner; Vitis Travel refunds only up to 48 hours before and lists the dinner as depending on the package.

When is Rtveli?

Rtveli has no fixed date. In Kakheti it usually starts in early September, earlier after a hot summer, and runs through October, while the west picks later.

Months each harvest day runs, against the Kakheti harvest, checked 29 September 2026

Why do the dates move each year?

Each vineyard picks when its grapes are ready, and that depends on the summer’s weather, the vineyard’s elevation and how much sugar the winemaker wants. Grape processing in Kakheti began on 13 August in 2024, after severe summer weather, on 2 September in 2025, and on 10 September in 2026. Neighbouring families can pick on different days, and a winemaker may decide to pick a vineyard only a few days ahead.

When is the harvest in the rest of Georgia?

Kartli picks in September and October, Imereti from late September into October, Racha-Lechkhumi in October, and parts of Guria and the far west into November or even December. In Kakheti the main grapes are Rkatsiteli and Saperavi; in Racha they are Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli, the grapes behind Khvanchkara. Our picks all run from Tbilisi, because we found no bookable harvest day in the west with a record we could check.

What happens if the harvest date moves?

The rule in your booking decides what happens if the harvest date moves, so choose the day by how fixed your plans are.

Four questions to ask before you pay

Is it a family's working harvest, or a day set up for visitors?
What happens if the family moves the date, or it rains?
Do you get a refund, or another day, if the picking cannot go ahead?
Until when can you cancel with a full refund?

What if the harvest is over before you arrive?

You can still see the cellars on a Kakheti wine tour after the harvest, when the new wine is fermenting in the qvevri. Not every winery takes visitors during Rtveli, because it is the busiest time of their year, so book a harvest day early.

What happens on a harvest day?

A harvest day starts in the vineyard, moves to the cellar and ends at the supra table; how much of each you do yourself depends on the day you book.

Pickingby hand into buckets or crates; on a family's real harvest usually 30 minutes to 1.5 hoursReal family harvest: the family's ownEvery Day Rtveli: family vineyardSighnaghi harvest day: family winery
Treadinggrapes trodden underfoot; on most family harvests a motorised press does the workReal family harvest: rarelyEvery Day Rtveli: guaranteedSighnaghi harvest day: traditional press
Suprathe feast that ends the day, led by a tamada who proposes the toastsReal family harvest: lunch and supraEvery Day Rtveli: mini-supraSighnaghi harvest day: supra dinner
Churchkhelanuts dipped in thickened grape must and hung to dry; Kakheti's way is on Georgia's heritage listReal family harvest: separate daysEvery Day Rtveli: not listedSighnaghi harvest day: a class

Will you tread the grapes barefoot?

Yes, sometimes. Only the Every Day Rtveli guarantees grape treading, in gumboots, and barefoot is sometimes possible if you ask the guide. On a family’s real harvest most winemakers use a motorised press, so treading is rare, and the Sighnaghi day lists traditional pressing without saying how. Where it is done, the grapes are trodden in a satsnakheli, a long wooden trough.

What is Rtveli?

Rtveli is the Georgian grape harvest and the celebration that goes with it, when families and neighbours pick, press and feast, one day or several, whenever their grapes are ready. The harvest feeds the qvevri (ქვევრი), the egg-shaped clay vessel where the juice ferments with its skins, stalks and pips for five to six months; UNESCO inscribed the method as intangible heritage in 2013 and names the communal harvest as part of it.

Is Rtveli a festival?

No, Rtveli is a harvest first, the work of picking and making wine done by families in the wine villages. Wine festivals gather around it in the season, such as the one in Gurjaani in Kakheti, and let you taste many producers in one place, but a festival is not the same as picking grapes.

Is Rtveli the same as Tbilisoba?

No. Rtveli is the grape harvest in the wine villages. Tbilisoba is Tbilisi’s city festival, first held in 1979 and usually in the second half of October, which includes a fair where regions show their harvest.

Rtveli questions

Can children join a harvest day?

Yes, on some days. Eat This! Tours asks families with anyone under 18 to book privately, except on its family dates (1 October in 2026, for ages 3 and up), and the Every Day Rtveli sometimes takes children from 12 when the whole group agrees. GetYourGuide publishes no age limit for the Sighnaghi day and lists it as not suitable for pregnant women, so ask before you book.

What food is eaten at Rtveli?

The harvest ends with a supra of grilled mtsvadi, bread, other dishes of the season and the family’s wine. Khinkali or khachapuri are often made on the day, and churchkhela is made from the fresh grape must.

What should you wear to a harvest day?

Wear clothes and shoes you do not mind getting dirty, with ankle support for uneven vineyard ground, because vineyards can be dusty or muddy and grape juice stains. Bring sunscreen and a hat, and a pair of gardening gloves helps.

How we picked

We compared the harvest days sold from Tbilisi on GetYourGuide with those local operators sell direct, and checked every price, date, group size and cancellation term on the booking pages on 29 September 2026. The test for each pick was how much of a real harvest you take part in, how firmly the date holds, what the price leaves out and how late you can cancel.

Rtveli: the Georgian grape harvest, and how to join it