Autumn in Georgia comes with a familiar invitation: the grapes are ready. And with them comes rtveli, the annual grape harvest that brings families and friends together in vineyards across the country.
There is plenty of work involved, of course. Grapes to pick, baskets to fill, juice to press. But there are also songs, stories and the pleasure of spending a day with people you love. For many Georgians, this is one of the most eagerly awaited gatherings of the year. A little hard work has never stood in the way of a good occasion.
A Harvest That Travels Across Georgia
Georgia is home to more than 500 indigenous grape varieties, and they don’t all keep the same calendar. Some ripen in summer; others take their time, with late harvests stretching into December. Most, however, are ready in autumn.
The season usually begins in Kakheti, in eastern Georgia, before making its way west to Imereti, Racha and Guria. Each region brings its own customs, songs and ways of doing things. The landscape changes, the grapes change, and so do the traditions surrounding them.
What stays familiar is the gathering itself: people coming together to bring in a harvest they have spent the year tending.
Everyone Has a Part to Play
Rtveli has long been a measure of a household’s fortunes. A generous harvest promised wine for the months ahead and the reassurance of a good year’s work rewarded. In earlier times, rituals could even include animal sacrifices, offered in the hope of a plentiful harvest and prosperity in the coming year.
Over the centuries, this importance found its way into folk songs, poetry and stories. The harvest became part of Georgia’s cultural life, carried from one generation to the next alongside the practical knowledge of growing grapes and making wine.
And there is a great deal to know. Looking after a vineyard takes a full year, with weather, soil and location all shaping the grapes that eventually reach the basket. Their sweetness, in turn, helps determine the wine they will become.
By harvest time, everyone’s help is welcome. Rtveli takes patience, energy and a willingness to get your hands dirty. Yet ask someone about the harvests they remember, and the work is likely to come wrapped in memories of family, laughter and familiar voices among the vines.
From the Vine to the Qvevri
Once the grapes are picked, the next chapter begins: pressing them and making the wine.
At the heart of Georgia’s winemaking tradition is the qvevri, a large earthenware vessel buried in the ground, where wine ferments and matures. Its roots reach back thousands of years, with clay winemaking vessels forming part of Georgia’s archaeological history since the Neolithic period.
There is something rather wonderful about this continuity. A new harvest arrives each year, but the vessel waiting to receive it belongs to a much older story.
A Little of the Harvest, Brought to the Table
You can see that story throughout Georgian art and design. Curling vines, grape leaves, rounded qvevri and wine jugs are familiar motifs, especially as autumn arrives and their colours and shapes begin to echo the world outside.
They also find a home in BlueTabla’s Qvevri collection of tablecloths and tableware. Inspired by Georgia’s wine culture, the designs bring together the vessels, vines and familiar details that make rtveli so recognisable.
For us, they hold something of the occasion itself: the anticipation of a harvest, the affection for an old tradition, and the pleasure of having everyone together.
You don’t need a vineyard to enjoy that last part. A table and a few favourite people will do.
