Cantine Aperte (Veneto)

Cantine Aperte (Veneto) is one of the wine festivals that anchors the Veneto calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year. It is held at Multiple wineries across Valpolicella in Soave, 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 Veneto 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. Veneto is Italy's largest wine region by volume, producing Prosecco from the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene hills (a UNESCO-listed cultural landscape), Amarone della Valpolicella and Ripasso from the appassimento hills above Verona, Soave from the volcanic slopes east of the city, and Bardolino and Lugana from around Lake Garda. The region hosts Vinitaly — the world's largest wine trade fair — every April, and wine tourism here benefits from the proximity of Verona, Venice and Lake Garda. 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. Veneto is reached via Venice (Marco Polo airport, water transport from there to the historic centre), Verona, Treviso or Padua. A festival visit combines well with Verona's Roman amphitheatre and Romeo and Juliet sites, the Prosecco hills above Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, the Palladian villas of the Brenta riviera, and the south-Lake Garda towns of Sirmione, Bardolino and Peschiera del Garda. Venetian cuisine — risotto, polenta, baccala mantecato, sarde in saor — pairs well with the regional wines.