Sagra dell'Uva di Cupramontana

Sagra dell'Uva di Cupramontana is one of the wine festivals that anchors the Marche calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year. It is held at Centro storico in Cupramontana, in the heart of one of Italy's most distinctive wine areas. It has been running since 1937, with a long unbroken local tradition behind it. One of Italy's oldest grape festivals, held annually in Cupramontana — the self-styled 'capital of Verdicchio'. Producers from across the Castelli di Jesi pour Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC and Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva DOCG. The festival programme combines traditional procession of allegorical floats, grape-stomping, folk music, food stalls offering Marche specialities (vincisgrassi, olive ascolane, brodetto), and a closing fireworks show. Italian grape and harvest festivals — sagre and feste dell'uva — are some of the country's longest-running celebrations, with many running uninterrupted for a century or more. Programmes typically combine grape-stomping demonstrations, traditional music, parades of allegorical floats, food stalls offering regional specialities, and tastings of the area's wines. The events have strong local character and are often as much community celebrations as wine programmes, with town councils, parish committees and local producer associations sharing the organisational load. Many festivals incorporate religious elements — blessings of the harvest, processions to the parish church — that connect the wine calendar to the liturgical year. The event is organised by Comune di Cupramontana, which sets the tone and direction of the programme each year. Marche is best known for Verdicchio, made in two distinct DOCs: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi (the larger, near the Adriatic coast) and Verdicchio di Matelica (smaller, inland, with a different style). Both have Riserva DOCGs above. The region also produces the powerful Conero DOCG and Rosso Piceno reds from Montepulciano and Sangiovese, alongside sparkling Verdicchio. Marche wines offer strong value compared with neighbouring Tuscany and Umbria. The 2026 edition is scheduled for First weekend of October 2026. Entry is free, with optional paid tasting passes or guided sessions available on site. Full programme, ticketing and updated information are published on the official site at https://www.comune.cupramontana.an.it/. Visitors are advised to check directly with the organiser for the latest schedule, as Italian festival programmes are sometimes updated close to the event date. Marche is reached via Ancona airport or by train along the Adriatic coast from Bologna or Pescara. The Castelli di Jesi area sits in the hills above Ancona, with Cupramontana and Jesi as practical bases for Verdicchio-focused visits. Marche cuisine pairs the wines with vincisgrassi (the local lasagne), olive ascolane (deep-fried stuffed olives from Ascoli Piceno), brodetto (Adriatic fish stew) and the local pecorinos. The region offers a quieter wine tourism experience than Tuscany or Umbria.