Vintage years
A Georgian year is never the same across the country: the September rtveli in Kakheti and the October picking in Racha are different seasons. Below: how warmth moved by region, two maps (season warmth and September rain) and the numbers year by year. Click a year to open it.
Season warmth by region
Growing-degree totals, year by year. The scale is shared across the charts, so regions are comparable: Kakheti runs well above Racha.
Kakheti2025: 1,486 · 16.8 °C
19802025
Kartli2025: 1,478 · 16.6 °C
19802025
Racha-Lechkhumi2025: 1,619 · 17.4 °C
19802025
Imereti2025: 1,910 · 18.8 °C
19802025
Samegrelo2025: 1,910 · 18.8 °C
19802025
Vertical axis: season warmth in °C·days (Winkler index). Horizontal axis: years. The solid line is the year, the dashed one the mean of the previous ten; beside the region's name is the mean season temperature in the latest year. Unfinished seasons are left out.
Season warmth against the previous decade
| Year | Kakheti | Kartli | Racha-Lechkhumi | Imereti | Samegrelo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | season under way | season under way | season under way | season under way | season under way |
| 2025 | −6% | −3% | −4% | −4% | −4% |
| 2024 | −3% | +2% | +7% | +8% | +10% |
| 2023 | −5% | −2% | ±0% | +1% | ±0% |
| 2022 | ±0% | −2% | −3% | −3% | −4% |
| 2021 | −1% | +1% | +2% | ±0% | −2% |
| 2020 | −5% | −1% | +1% | +2% | +1% |
| 2019 | +8% | +3% | +4% | +2% | +3% |
| 2018 | +8% | +11% | +16% | +13% | +15% |
| 2017 | +8% | +2% | +3% | +2% | +1% |
| 2016 | −1% | −3% | −5% | −3% | −4% |
| 2015 | +4% | +7% | +13% | +8% | +8% |
| 2014 | +11% | +10% | +13% | +11% | +12% |
| 2013 | −7% | −10% | −11% | −8% | −8% |
| 2012 | +18% | +13% | +13% | +16% | +17% |
| 2011 | −1% | −3% | −5% | −7% | −8% |
| 2010 | +19% | +21% | +25% | +19% | +22% |
| 2009 | −8% | −9% | −8% | −5% | −4% |
| 2008 | +1% | ±0% | −2% | −3% | −3% |
| 2007 | +4% | +8% | +9% | +10% | +14% |
| 2006 | +17% | +20% | +18% | +12% | +9% |
| 2005 | +1% | +1% | +2% | +3% | +3% |
| 2004 | −4% | −5% | −7% | −7% | −8% |
| 2003 | −5% | −3% | −3% | −4% | −6% |
| 2002 | −1% | +1% | +2% | +3% | +2% |
| 2001 | +9% | +8% | +4% | +4% | +2% |
| 2000 | +23% | +13% | +5% | +6% | +4% |
| 1999 | +6% | +7% | +7% | +6% | +3% |
| 1998 | +26% | +23% | +23% | +20% | +22% |
| 1997 | +1% | +1% | −3% | −3% | −4% |
| 1996 | −2% | ±0% | +5% | +4% | +6% |
| 1995 | +5% | +5% | +4% | +4% | +1% |
| 1994 | −2% | +3% | +7% | +12% | +16% |
| 1993 | −10% | −10% | −9% | −7% | −6% |
| 1992 | −19% | −14% | −13% | −9% | −7% |
| 1991 | +9% | +12% | +14% | +11% | +10% |
| 1990 | −5% | −4% | −4% | −4% | −4% |
| 1989 | +20% | +14% | +9% | +8% | +7% |
| 1988 | −3% | −3% | −3% | ±0% | −1% |
| 1987 | −2% | −2% | −7% | −8% | −6% |
| 1986 | +9% | +13% | +13% | +12% | +12% |
| 1985 | +3% | −1% | +2% | +2% | ±0% |
| 1984 | +5% | +1% | −2% | −6% | −6% |
| 1983 | −3% | −1% | −1% | −2% | −1% |
| 1982 | −3% | −5% | −10% | −7% | −5% |
| 1981 | −7% | ±0% | +2% | +2% | +3% |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — | — |
September rain
| Year | Kakheti | Kartli | Racha-Lechkhumi | Imereti | Samegrelo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | season under way | season under way | season under way | season under way | season under way |
| 2025 | 111 | 103 | 214 | 156 | 303 |
| 2024 | 46 | 85 | 30 | 69 | 35 |
| 2023 | 77 | 44 | 146 | 63 | 171 |
| 2022 | 52 | 52 | 95 | 109 | 153 |
| 2021 | 106 | 97 | 179 | 219 | 279 |
| 2020 | 25 | 20 | 60 | 36 | 52 |
| 2019 | 75 | 58 | 109 | 110 | 193 |
| 2018 | 23 | 37 | 57 | 70 | 145 |
| 2017 | 46 | 22 | 92 | 83 | 157 |
| 2016 | 58 | 109 | 169 | 139 | 251 |
| 2015 | 32 | 23 | 32 | 10 | 24 |
| 2014 | 105 | 173 | 116 | 136 | 235 |
| 2013 | 36 | 84 | 179 | 159 | 272 |
| 2012 | 48 | 51 | 68 | 43 | 95 |
| 2011 | 26 | 41 | 108 | 117 | 142 |
| 2010 | 51 | 65 | 92 | 118 | 209 |
| 2009 | 93 | 101 | 154 | 128 | 190 |
| 2008 | 76 | 142 | 136 | 145 | 251 |
| 2007 | 1 | 20 | 72 | 77 | 114 |
| 2006 | 112 | 104 | 153 | 143 | 279 |
| 2005 | 35 | 85 | 82 | 74 | 128 |
| 2004 | 62 | 27 | 56 | 55 | 74 |
| 2003 | 72 | 95 | 82 | 88 | 143 |
| 2002 | 42 | 58 | 52 | 71 | 76 |
| 2001 | 17 | 37 | 73 | 86 | 126 |
| 2000 | 66 | 81 | 61 | 85 | 130 |
| 1999 | 105 | 70 | 77 | 76 | 99 |
| 1998 | 45 | 23 | 48 | 55 | 102 |
| 1997 | 47 | 48 | 121 | 94 | 176 |
| 1996 | 52 | 141 | 77 | 109 | 169 |
| 1995 | 36 | 96 | 140 | 159 | 216 |
| 1994 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 31 |
| 1993 | 38 | 120 | 89 | 116 | 111 |
| 1992 | 80 | 109 | 102 | 132 | 172 |
| 1991 | 40 | 60 | 62 | 73 | 110 |
| 1990 | 66 | 63 | 129 | 107 | 224 |
| 1989 | 26 | 61 | 128 | 114 | 237 |
| 1988 | 26 | 56 | 94 | 95 | 116 |
| 1987 | 75 | 45 | 90 | 75 | 84 |
| 1986 | 24 | 30 | 130 | 138 | 171 |
| 1985 | 97 | 128 | 96 | 126 | 136 |
| 1984 | 18 | 23 | 31 | 41 | 93 |
| 1983 | 143 | 157 | 76 | 80 | 116 |
| 1982 | 35 | 56 | 114 | 116 | 185 |
| 1981 | 28 | 72 | 95 | 97 | 129 |
| 1980 | 51 | 115 | 142 | 142 | 237 |
What these numbers mean for the harvest
- Season warmth against the previous decade
- Season warmth (the Winkler index) is how many degrees each day's mean temperature rose above 10 °C, added up from April to October: a day averaging 18 °C adds 8 °C·days, a day below 10 °C adds nothing. More of it means riper fruit: higher sugar and eventual alcohol, lower acidity, softer tannin. A cool year keeps more acidity, and in late varieties such as Saperavi the tannin can stay green.
- days above 35 °C
- Days above 35 °C are the other side of warmth. In that heat the vine closes its stomata and ripening stalls, berries get sunburn and aromatics are lost: a hot year is not the same as a warm one.
- September rain
- September rain falls in the month of rtveli in Kakheti. Water before picking dilutes the juice and thins concentration, while damp starts grey rot; the winery has to choose between ripeness and healthy fruit. For qvevri it matters twice over: the wine ferments on the skins, and damaged skins end up in the bottle.
- Spring frost: a minimum of −2 °C or lower after 10 April
- Spring frosts (a minimum of −2 °C or lower after 10 April) hit young shoots. The crop comes out smaller and the second flush ripens unevenly — this is about how much wine there is and how uneven the lot is, not about its taste. The threshold is deliberately strict: a night at zero in early April happens every other year in Kakheti and does no harm to buds that have not yet opened.
These are general facts of viticulture, not our conclusions about these wines: the same weather ends differently at a winery that sorted its fruit and at one that picked everything.
The numbers, year by year
| Year | Kakheti | Kartli | Racha-Lechkhumi | Imereti | Samegrelo | Wines in catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | season under way | season under way | season under way | season under way | season under way | 0 |
| 2025 | 1,486111 mm | 1,478103 mmfrosts | 1,619214 mm | 1,910156 mmfrosts | 1,910303 mm | 95 |
| 2024 | 1,55146 mm | 1,55485 mm | 1,79130 mm | 2,13969 mm | 2,16535 mm | 399 |
| 2023 | 1,50477 mm | 1,48244 mm | 1,655146 mm | 1,97863 mm | 1,948171 mm | 321 |
| 2022 | 1,59052 mmfrosts | 1,48552 mmfrosts | 1,61195 mm | 1,916109 mm | 1,884153 mm | 406 |
| 2021 | 1,563106 mmfrosts | 1,51997 mm | 1,668179 mm | 1,944219 mm | 1,910279 mm | 237 |
| 2020 | 1,52925 mmfrosts | 1,50020 mm | 1,66760 mm | 1,99236 mm | 1,98852 mm | 228 |
| 2019 | 1,69275 mm | 1,54258 mm | 1,687109 mm | 1,969110 mm | 1,982193 mm | 172 |
| 2018 | 1,66523 mm | 1,63637 mm | 1,83157 mm | 2,13770 mm | 2,167145 mm | 114 |
| 2017 | 1,65146 mmfrosts | 1,50022 mmfrosts | 1,63692 mmfrosts | 1,93683 mm | 1,922157 mm | 65 |
| 2016 | 1,52758 mm | 1,448109 mm | 1,521169 mm | 1,852139 mm | 1,830251 mm | 63 |
| 2015 | 1,58932 mm | 1,57023 mm | 1,76932 mm | 2,02710 mm | 2,03624 mm | 58 |
| 2014 | 1,664105 mm | 1,572173 mm | 1,734116 mm | 2,033136 mm | 2,050235 mm | 46 |
| 2013 | 1,37536 mm | 1,29084 mm | 1,373179 mm | 1,690159 mm | 1,689272 mm | 43 |
| 2012 | 1,70848 mm | 1,58751 mm | 1,69868 mm | 2,08743 mm | 2,10595 mm | 28 |
| 2011 | 1,43226 mmfrosts | 1,37241 mmfrosts | 1,441108 mmfrosts | 1,684117 mm | 1,666142 mmfrosts | 30 |
| 2010 | 1,71751 mm | 1,67365 mm | 1,84492 mm | 2,123118 mm | 2,147209 mm | 26 |
| 2009 | 1,33693 mmfrosts | 1,267101 mmfrosts | 1,364154 mmfrosts | 1,696128 mm | 1,702190 mm | 24 |
| 2008 | 1,47876 mm | 1,409142 mm | 1,474136 mm | 1,763145 mm | 1,745251 mm | 18 |
| 2007 | 1,4931 mmfrosts | 1,49420 mmfrosts | 1,60772 mm | 1,95477 mm | 2,001114 mm | 20 |
| 2006 | 1,646112 mmfrosts | 1,615104 mmfrosts | 1,712153 mm | 1,953143 mm | 1,905279 mm | 8 |
| 2005 | 1,41235 mm | 1,35885 mm | 1,47582 mm | 1,78674 mm | 1,778128 mm | 6 |
| 2004 | 1,33662 mm | 1,27627 mm | 1,35256 mm | 1,64155 mm | 1,61274 mm | 8 |
| 2003 | 1,30472 mm | 1,28895 mmfrosts | 1,38382 mm | 1,67088 mm | 1,642143 mm | 2 |
| 2002 | 1,33742 mmfrosts | 1,31558 mmfrosts | 1,43452 mmfrosts | 1,76471 mm | 1,75476 mm | 0 |
| 2001 | 1,46417 mm | 1,40237 mm | 1,47273 mm | 1,78586 mm | 1,765126 mm | 0 |
| 2000 | 1,60166 mmfrosts | 1,44181 mmfrosts | 1,45961 mm | 1,79885 mm | 1,764130 mm | 1 |
| 1999 | 1,392105 mm | 1,36770 mm | 1,48777 mm | 1,78676 mm | 1,75899 mm | 0 |
| 1998 | 1,61245 mm | 1,52423 mm | 1,66648 mm | 1,97355 mm | 2,020102 mm | 0 |
| 1997 | 1,29447 mmfrosts | 1,24748 mmfrosts | 1,309121 mmfrosts | 1,59294 mmfrosts | 1,577176 mmfrosts | 0 |
| 1996 | 1,26752 mm | 1,247141 mm | 1,43077 mm | 1,710109 mm | 1,760169 mm | 0 |
| 1995 | 1,34336 mm | 1,29796 mm | 1,407140 mm | 1,703159 mm | 1,667216 mm | 0 |
| 1994 | 1,2628 mm | 1,26512 mm | 1,43811 mm | 1,7958 mm | 1,87331 mm | 0 |
| 1993 | 1,16438 mmfrosts | 1,118120 mmfrosts | 1,22789 mmfrosts | 1,507116 mmfrosts | 1,521111 mmfrosts | 0 |
| 1992 | 1,06080 mm | 1,074109 mm | 1,181102 mmfrosts | 1,479132 mm | 1,517172 mm | 0 |
| 1991 | 1,40640 mm | 1,37960 mm | 1,52562 mm | 1,79173 mm | 1,774110 mm | 0 |
| 1990 | 1,23366 mm | 1,18963 mm | 1,291129 mm | 1,555107 mm | 1,552224 mm | 0 |
| 1989 | 1,53126 mm | 1,39861 mm | 1,458128 mm | 1,731114 mm | 1,726237 mm | 0 |
| 1988 | 1,24626 mm | 1,19256 mm | 1,30194 mm | 1,60895 mm | 1,595116 mm | 0 |
| 1987 | 1,25775 mmfrosts | 1,20245 mmfrosts | 1,25290 mmfrosts | 1,49275 mmfrosts | 1,52184 mmfrosts | 1 |
| 1986 | 1,38024 mm | 1,36330 mm | 1,504130 mm | 1,790138 mm | 1,786171 mm | 0 |
| 1985 | 1,29897 mm | 1,202128 mm | 1,34996 mm | 1,622126 mm | 1,596136 mm | 2 |
| 1984 | 1,31818 mm | 1,21823 mmfrosts | 1,30731 mm | 1,50541 mm | 1,52293 mm | 0 |
| 1983 | 1,220143 mm | 1,194157 mm | 1,31876 mm | 1,58580 mm | 1,605116 mm | 0 |
| 1982 | 1,23835 mm | 1,17256 mm | 1,244114 mm | 1,539116 mm | 1,571185 mm | 0 |
| 1981 | 1,22428 mm | 1,23472 mmfrosts | 1,38995 mm | 1,66597 mm | 1,676129 mm | 0 |
| 1980 | 1,31951 mmfrosts | 1,228115 mmfrosts | 1,362142 mmfrosts | 1,640142 mmfrosts | 1,631237 mm | 0 |
Each cell: season warmth (°C·days) and September rainfall. The frost mark means a minimum of −2 °C or lower after 10 April.
Source: ERA5-Land reanalysis, precipitation from ERA5 (Copernicus Climate Change Service) via the Open-Meteo archive — a gridded model, not weather stations in the vineyards. Years are compared with the mean of the previous ten, not with the 1991–2020 climate normal: the climate has shifted, and against that normal 14 of the last 20 years would read as warmer than usual — true about warming, but not about the year. This is not a rating of wine and not a drinking window: the weather explains what the season was like; what ended up in the bottle depends on picking and on the winery's work.