Open Cellars in Harvest kicks off: two months to experience Italy's wine scene.

Starting today, August 24th, Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia, the Wine Tourism Movement's event that, until October 25th, brings wine lovers, families, young people, and Italian and international tourists into the heart of one of the most fascinating and decisive moments of the wine year.

Two months to ideally traverse Italy, following the rhythm of the grapes and the birth of wine: from the earliest harvests for white and sparkling wines to the later harvests, from the vineyard to the cellar, from pressing to fermentation, from the aromas of the must to the first tastes of a wine taking shape.

This year, Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia (Open Cellars in Harvest) kicks off a week earlier than previous editions. With increasingly warm summers, the overall harvest schedule has changed, gradually moving forward in many areas and for a growing number of grape varieties. The Wine Tourism Movement has also chosen to adapt to this evolution, allowing visitors to enter wineries when the harvest is actually underway and follow the subsequent stages.

Because the harvest doesn't end with the last bunch picked from the vine. Its fascination continues once the grapes enter the cellar: the aroma of the must, the pressing, the start of fermentation, the work of the winemaker, and the tastings at the various stages of winemaking allow you to witness the transformation of the grapes and gain an up-close understanding of how a wine is made.

It's precisely this continuity between vineyard and cellar that makes the next two months a period difficult to replicate throughout the rest of the year. The only thing left to do is choose where and which wine: from the first grapes harvested for white and sparkling wines in the northernmost areas to the later harvests in the South and Vulture, each week offers different landscapes, grape varieties, traditions, and flavors, accompanied by a gastronomic diversity that is one of the hallmarks of Italian wine.

A mosaic of experiences: each region interprets wine tourism in its own way.

And diversity is precisely one of the great values ​​of the Wine Tourism Movement's wine tourism formula, which finds a strong expression in Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia.

Research by Ceseo – the Center for Wine and Olive Oil Tourism Studies at Lumsa University – reveals a veritable mosaic of styles and approaches, in which each geographical area interprets wine tourism according to its own characteristics.

Different regions, company sizes, landscapes, production methods, traditions, gastronomy, and winery types, as well as different habits and mentalities, create distinct hospitality models. This diversity represents both an enrichment, an organizational challenge, and a significant competitive opportunity for Italian wineries on the international market, held together by a common thread of quality that defines the Wine Tourism Movement.

The research also highlights some significant territorial trends.

In Southern Italy, wine tourism shows a particular vocation for events and entertainment, with tastings combined with typical products and a strong focus on digital presence, which involves 55% of wineries.

In Central Italy, wine is best enjoyed in the countryside: picnics in the vineyard, outdoor experiences, and premium options characterize a selection of experiences in which Tuscany and Umbria account for 85% of the high-end experiences identified by the research.

In the North, however, a particularly flexible approach to hospitality emerges: in the Northwest, 56% of wineries also open on Sundays, ensuring greater continuity in the possibility of visits.

These are, of course, trends, not rigid boundaries. And Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia itself demonstrates this: similar activities span the entire peninsula, but they take on a different identity depending on the region in which they are held.

Educational grape harvesting, for example, is offered from Piedmont to Friuli, from Veneto to Umbria and Lazio, and even Tuscany. However, the narrative, the products, the traditions, and the way visitors are welcomed vary.

In the Asti area, the experience might begin with explanations in the vineyard and continue with the harvest, the delivery of the grapes, and the traditional foot-pressing. Then comes the snack, and it's immediately Piedmont: cured meats, peppers with bagna cauda, ​​cheeses accompanied by jams, apples, and Mombaruzzo amaretti biscuits. In the afternoon, the tour continues at the winery, with tastings and folk music.

And the region continues to tell its story at the table, with picnics and zero-mile snacks, Tuscan prosciutto, homemade grape schiacciata, bruschetta with Tuscan PGI Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and grape juice for the little ones.

In Campania, the grape harvest becomes an opportunity to stroll among the rows, learn about the region, and accompany the story of wine with typical products. More generally, in many parts of Southern Italy, convivial and festive gatherings, music, entertainment, and large tables are encouraged, while in areas where wine tourism has been established for a long time, more intimate and exclusive offerings are also developing: dinners among the rows, tastings of great vintages or previews of wines, and meetings with winemakers or producers.

These diverse experiences demonstrate that there is no single model for Italian wine tourism: it is precisely the ability to interpret the same moment in many different ways that transforms territorial fragmentation into value.

September and October: the opportunity for international tourists

The decision to develop Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia over two months also allows us to reach a strategic audience for the future of Italian wine tourism: the international one.

September and October are particularly important months for foreign visitors to Italy, when wineries can offer something that's hard to replicate at any other time of year: witnessing the birth of wine firsthand.

"Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia perhaps better than any other event illustrates just how extraordinarily diverse the Italian wine industry is," emphasizes Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini, president of the Movimento Turismo del Vino. "This diversity is precisely one of our great values. But there is also a great international opportunity: according to Ceseo, foreigners represent between 35% and 40% of visitors to our wineries, with a stronger presence in Central Italy and lower percentages in some areas of the North, around 15%. However, we are talking about just 7-8 million people compared to the approximately 104 million international tourists who choose Italy each year. The margin for growth is therefore enormous, especially in the months of September and October, and considering that these visitors are among the most interested in purchasing high-quality wines. The variety of our regions, united by a common thread of quality, could become one of the strongest competitive tools for Italian wine tourism on international markets."

This potential remains enormous, especially considering that international visitors, in addition to being more likely to purchase high-end wines, can also become true ambassadors for Italian denominations, companies, and regions once they return to their home countries.

A family-friendly harvest

Among the common threads of the 2026 edition is a special focus on families and children. According to Ceseo 2025 data, 38% of the wineries in the sample organize educational experiences, including activities for children, equipped play areas, and visits to educational farms.

In Tuscany, for example, some wineries transform the grape harvest into a true family experience: they walk down the rows, pick the grapes, crush the grapes with their feet, collect the juice, bottle it in small bottles, and create their own label. In some cases, children even receive a "Winemaker for a Day" diploma, a memento of a day spent immersed in nature and rural traditions.

Alongside the educational grape harvest, there will be picnics among the vine rows, games, winemaker's snacks, walks and hikes, tastings, meetings with producers, grape harvest celebrations, music, lunches and dinners in the vineyard.

A collection of experiences united by the desire to transform a visit to the winery into a memorable experience, where wine, landscape, food, and local culture become part of the same story.

From August 24th to October 25th 2026, Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia invites the public to enter the vineyards and cellars of the Wine Tourism Movement at the moment when wine is truly born: two months to discover that, from North to South, there are as many different ways to experience the harvest as there are Italian wine regions.

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