The Gurjaani Wine Festival falls on Saturday 10 October 2026 — and in Racha the harvest has not finished yet

Rtveli is not a single festival on a fixed date, and treating it as one is how visitors arrive a month late. Kakheti picks from late August into October, and the 2026 harvest there officially started on 10 September. Kartli runs September into October, Imereti from late September into October, Racha-Lechkhumi in October, and Guria and western Georgia later still, into November and December. So a traveller in Georgia right now has missed the Kakheti peak but not the season: the western regions are only beginning.

The Gurjaani Wine Festival is confirmed for Saturday 10 October 2026, with tastings from more than a hundred producers. It is worth being clear about what it is: a tasting event, not a harvest experience. You will not be picking grapes or working a press there. For someone who wants to meet a lot of small producers in one afternoon and work out whose wine they actually like, that is an advantage rather than a shortcoming — and it is the one fixed date on the autumn calendar that does not depend on the weather in a particular vineyard.

Two different things are sold under the same word. A real family rtveli is the authentic version and the hardest to schedule, because the date depends on when the grapes are ready: picking, carrying, processing and a supra at the end. A winery harvest programme books on a fixed date and includes picking, stomping, churchkhela-making, a cellar tour, tastings and lunch — but it is not always the winery's actual working harvest. Neither is better; they answer different questions. Published prices for 2026 programmes ranged from 220 lari per person for a one-day trip with transfers from Tbilisi up to 410 lari for a Telavi-based day, with one Telavi-departure option at 350 lari.

Dates can be confirmed at short notice and can move with the weather, so independent wineries want contacting at least a couple of days ahead and popular programmes sell out. Ask precisely what is included — picking, pressing, lunch, tastings — because barefoot stomping is not automatic. Wear clothes you do not mind staining and consider gloves. Arrange transport in advance or stay the night, since these days involve a quantity of wine and chacha that does not combine with driving. Confirm prices and dates with the operator directly; the figures above were published in late September 2026 and the season is still moving.