Cantine Aperte (Sicily) is one of the wine festivals that anchors the Sicily calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year. It is held at Wineries across Etna in Sicilia DOC, in the heart of one of Italy's most distinctive wine areas. It has been running since 1993, with a long unbroken local tradition behind it.
Italy's biggest open-cellar event, organised by the Movimento Turismo del Vino. On the last Sunday of May each year, more than 20,000 wineries across Italy open their doors for tastings, vineyard tours and producer-led events. The Sicily chapter coordinates participating estates in the area, giving visitors a chance to meet winemakers and taste current and library vintages directly at the cellar. 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 3-5 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 event is organised by Movimento Turismo del Vino, which sets the tone and direction of the programme each year.
Sicily produces a broad range of wines across Italy's largest region, with Nero d'Avola, Frappato (the basis of Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, Sicily's only DOCG) and Etna's volcanic reds (Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio) leading the red category. Whites include Grillo, Catarratto, Carricante (Etna), Inzolia, Zibibbo (the Pantelleria Muscat) and the historic fortified Marsala. The island has been a major area of wine quality investment over the past twenty years, with strong wine tourism infrastructure especially around Mount Etna.
The 2026 edition is scheduled for 31 May 2026 (last Sunday of May). 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.movimentoturismovino.it/it/cantine-aperte. 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.
Sicily is reached via Palermo, Catania or Trapani airports, with a robust ferry network from mainland Italy. Wine festival visits combine naturally with Sicilian cultural tourism: the Greek temples at Agrigento and Selinunte, the Roman mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale, Mount Etna's volcanic landscape (with cellar visits and lava-field hiking), Palermo's Arabo-Norman heritage, and Baroque Noto and Modica. Sicilian cuisine pairs the wines with caponata, pasta alla Norma, swordfish, arancini, granita and cassata.
