Cantine Aperte a San Martino (Molise) is one of the wine festivals that anchors the Molise calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year.
Held at participating wineries across Molise, it is the November edition of the Movimento Turismo del Vino's nationwide programme, timed to the Festa di San Martino — the moment when the previous year's wines are first opened.
A Festival Timed to the First Wines of the Year
Cantine Aperte a San Martino marks the point when Molise wineries pour the new vintage of Tintilia del Molise alongside roasted chestnuts and traditional autumn cooking. It is an annual event with an established local audience and a consistent place in the regional calendar. Tenuta Marta Rosa near Nuova Cliternia hosts a recurring autumn tasting at this time, combining wines with local food and family activities. The event is organised by Movimento Turismo del Vino Molise, which sets the tone and direction of the programme each year.
What to Expect
Cantine Aperte is the entry point of Italian wine tourism for many visitors, giving direct access to producers who are otherwise hard to visit without prior arrangement. Most participating wineries offer free or low-cost tastings, with optional paid masterclass sessions, vineyard walks and food pairings. The atmosphere is informal and the focus is on direct producer contact rather than large-scale events. Visitors typically plan a route covering three to five wineries across a single day, often combining cellar visits with stops at local restaurants or food producers in the same area. The event functions both as a commercial opportunity for the wineries and as a community celebration, drawing returning visitors year after year.
The Molise Wine Region
Molise is one of Italy's smallest and least-known wine regions, sitting between Abruzzo to the north and Puglia to the south. Its flagship is Tintilia del Molise DOC (a DOC since 2011) — an indigenous red grape that risked extinction before its revival in the 1990s. Further production centres on Biferno DOC and Pentro di Isernia DOC, built on Montepulciano, Aglianico, Trebbiano Toscano and Bombino Bianco. Molise was administratively part of Abruzzo until 1963 and only began bottling under its own regional name from the 1980s.
Planning Your Visit
The 2026 edition is scheduled for the weekend nearest 11 November 2026 (Festa di San Martino). 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 — and visitors are advised to check directly with the organiser, as Italian festival programmes are sometimes updated close to the event date. Molise is reached most easily by car, with Termoli on the Adriatic coast a popular entry point and Campobasso the inland regional capital. The region rewards quiet, low-traffic exploration: the Roman amphitheatre and ruins of Saepinum, the Lombard castle of Bagnoli del Trigno, the medieval villages of Civitacampomarano and Larino, and Termoli's historic seafront. Molisan cuisine pairs robustly with the wines — cavatelli with pork ragù, pampanella (spicy roast pork), scamorza molisana cheese, and the slow-cooked sheep stew called pezzata.
