🍷 Rtveli

Rtveli is the Georgian autumn grape harvest, turned into a shared festival. The word means "grape harvest". It takes place in September and October, especially in Kakheti, Georgia's main wine region. The festival begins with work. The whole family, and often neighbours, go out to the vineyard, cut the bunches and carry them home. There the grapes are crushed, often by foot in a wooden trough called a satsnakheli, and the juice goes into clay qvevri buried in the ground. The work goes with songs: Georgia is known for its polyphonic singing. When the work is done, a feast is held, a supra, with bread, cheese, meat and new wine. Toasts are made, led by a special person, the tamada. The festival ends with a shared table where relatives and neighbours gather. Rtveli is one of many harvest festivals in different countries. For Georgians it is not only labour but a culture that binds family and community. The festival is a reminder that in Georgia wine is part of tradition, not only a drink.