Festa della Tintilia is one of the wine festivals that anchors the Molise calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year. It is held at Rotating between Larino in Campomarino, in the heart of one of Italy's most distinctive wine areas. It has been running since 2011, with a long unbroken local tradition behind it.
Annual celebration of Tintilia del Molise DOC, the indigenous red grape variety that risked disappearing before being revived in the 1990s. Producers including Claudio Cipressi, Tenimenti Grieco, Borgo di Colloredo, Catabbo and Salvatore pour current vintages of Tintilia and its rose and Riserva versions, with masterclasses on the grape's near-extinction and revival. The setting rotates between Larino (where the local olive oil and truffle festival often coincides), Campomarino on the coast, and the inland village of San Felice del Molise. 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 Consorzio Tutela Vini del Molise / participating wineries, which sets the tone and direction of the programme each year.
Molise is one of Italy's smallest and least-known wine regions, sitting between Abruzzo to the north and Puglia to the south. The region's flagship is Tintilia del Molise DOC (DOC since 2011) — an indigenous red grape that risked extinction before its revival in the 1990s. Other production centres on Biferno DOC and Pentro di Isernia DOC, with wines 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.
The 2026 edition is scheduled for Autumn 2026 (dates TBC). Cost details: Paid (tasting pass). Full programme, ticketing and updated information are published on the official site at https://www.consorziovinimolise.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.
Molise is reached most easily by car, with Termoli on the Adriatic coast as a popular entry point and Campobasso (the regional capital) inland. The region pairs wine tourism with 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 ragu, pampanella (spicy roast pork), scamorza molisana cheese, and the slow-cooked sheep stew called pezzata.
