Cantine Aperte was launched in 1993 by the Movimento Turismo del Vino and effectively invented Italian wine tourism: on the last Sunday of May, hundreds of estates across every region open their cellars for tasting, tours and food without appointment. Some charge a small entry, most do not.
No national attendance figure is published, and the dispersed format would defeat one.
Its importance for a reference work is structural rather than spectacular. This is the day on which Italian wine estates that are otherwise closed to casual visitors can simply be walked into, which changes what a weekend in Chianti, the Langhe or Valpolicella can contain.
It is anchored to the last Sunday of May. A separate open-cellar day runs during the September harvest, and the two are frequently confused in listings.
PlanningAnchored to the last Sunday of May; a second open-cellar day runs at the September harvest.
Dates
computed from the rule
Computed from the recurrence rule we record for this entry, not copied from a listing. A date marked ~ comes from a calendar conversion and the observance may fall a day or two either side.