The festival's wine
The first glass of the harvest
Uncorked from 30 October, it smells of strawberry and raspberry and is drunk young. At the festival you'll find it in every cellar, on tap and by the bottle.
The rules of novello
Being young is not enough. Italian novello follows precise rules, set by the ministerial decree of 13 August 2012, which amended the 1989 one.
Watch out for the old rules: some websites, official ones included, still say “30%” and “6 November”. Those were the rules before 2012.
- On sale from
- 30 October from 00:01
- Carbonic maceration
- at least 40% of whole grapes
- Bottled by
- 31 December of the harvest year
- Alcohol
- at least 11% vol.
Ministerial decree, 13 August 2012
That is why the festival always falls on the first or second weekend after 30 October: the novello has just come out.
How it's made: carbonic maceration
The secret of novello is a fermentation that starts inside the grape, before it is even crushed. Here it is in four steps.
-
Step 1 of 4
Whole bunches
The grapes go into the vat as whole bunches, without being crushed. By law at least 40% of a novello must be made this way.
-
Step 2 of 4
Under carbon dioxide
The vat is closed and filled with carbon dioxide, CO₂. The grapes stay whole, sheltered from the air.
-
Step 3 of 4
Fermentation inside the grape
For 7–20 days fermentation starts inside each grape while it is still whole: this is intracellular fermentation. Malic acid drops and the notes of strawberry and raspberry appear.
-
Step 4 of 4
Pressing and draining
Then the grapes go under the press and the wine is separated from the skins: this is called svinatura. Novello can be sold from 30 October and must be bottled by 31 December.
In the glass
Novello is a young, cheerful wine that needs no waiting: open it and drink it, with the food from the cellars.
- Fruity
- The aroma comes straight away, and it is fruit.
- Strawberry and raspberry
- The typical notes, born of carbonic maceration.
- Drink it young
- It is the wine of the year, made to be drunk young.
Wine from these hills
Every cellar at the festival pours novello on tap and by the bottle, from producers within about fifteen kilometres. Catignano lies in the Vestini wine area.
The 2024 producers
2024 list · 2026 to be confirmed- Storiche Cantine Bosco
- Tenuta Tre Gemme in Catignano
- Tenuta De Melis
- Castorani Wines
- Società Agricola Chiarieri
- Cutina Liquori in Catignano
It is the only official list there is, and it doesn't say who pours what. The 2026 list is still to be confirmed by the Pro Loco.
How it's poured at the festival
-
In every cellar
Novello on tap and by the bottle, next to the cellar's dishes.
-
A glass you carry with you
Reusable glass with a glass holder bag, on sale at the cash desks.
-
Cash desk first
Food and drinks are paid with tokens or vouchers bought at the cash desks, before ordering.
If you drive, don't drink: on Saturday, check the shuttle. Getting here