New Wine Festival in Dolianova 2026

From 8 to 15 November 2026 Dolianova, the main town of the Parteolla area about 25 kilometres from Cagliari, celebrates the new vintage with the Sagra del Vino Novello – the New Wine Festival. A sagra is a traditional Italian village festival built around a local product, and this one brings a week of tastings and local food to one of southern Sardinia’s wine towns, in the shadow of one of the island’s finest Romanesque churches.

New wine and St Martin’s Day: the story behind the festival

In rural Italy November has always been the month to taste the year’s first wine. An old saying goes “by St Martin’s Day every must becomes wine”: around 11 November, the feast of San Martino, the new vintage is ready for its first toast. The Dolianova festival falls right in those days and carries on this farming tradition.

Vino novello is a young wine made to be drunk within a few months. In Italy it’s produced at least partly by carbonic maceration, a technique in which whole grapes ferment in a carbon-dioxide-rich environment. The result is a fresh, fragrant, fruity red with soft tannins. By law it can only go on sale from the end of October – which is why novello festivals cluster in November.

Wine is no random theme in Dolianova. The Parteolla area has lived off vines and olive trees for centuries: its name is thought to come from the Latin Pars Olea, “land of the olive”. The town is home to one of Sardinia’s large cooperative wineries, and many families still tend a vineyard and make wine for their own table.

What happens at the New Wine Festival

The festival is a chance to taste freshly drawn novello together with local food. Typically you’ll find:

• Tastings of new wine and other Parteolla wines.
• Food stalls with roast chestnuts, cured meats, cheeses and traditional dishes of the Campidano plain.
• Folk music and a festive atmosphere in the streets.
• Cultural events and chances to learn about local winemaking.

The programme, times and venues are announced by the Comune di Dolianova, which runs the event. Check before you travel, as some calendars still list the dates as provisional.

What to eat and drink in Dolianova

Parteolla is one of the most generous corners of southern Sardinia. Look out for:

• Local wines: besides novello, whites such as Nuragus, a grape typical of the south of the island, and sweet wines like Nasco and Moscato; reds such as Cannonau and Monica are also made here.
• Extra virgin olive oil from neat olive groves, some of them centuries old.
• Sheep and goat cheeses from local dairies.
• Traditional breads and sweets, perfect with a glass of dessert wine.

To take home: a few bottles (drink the novello soon – sweet wines keep for years), a tin of new-season olive oil and a piece of aged cheese.

Things to see in Dolianova and around

Dolianova, with almost 10,000 inhabitants, was created in 1905 by merging two old villages, Sicci San Biagio and San Pantaleo, which are still its two patron saints. The name Dolia appears in documents as early as 1089.

• San Pantaleo Cathedral: built between the early 12th century and 1289, when it was consecrated, it’s the town’s symbol and was the seat of the diocese of Dolia until 1503. It blends Pisan Romanesque with Gothic elements and Islamic-inspired motifs. Inside are carved capitals with Gospel scenes, an early Christian baptismal font and the late-15th-century Retablo di San Pantaleo altarpiece.
• Villa Boyl, a 17th-century mansion housing the olive-oil museum sa Mola de su Notariu.
• Villa de Villa, an early-19th-century residence used for exhibitions, and the town’s traditional Campidano courtyard houses.
• Archaeology: over a hundred prehistoric and Nuragic sites have been recorded in the hills, including the sa Dom’e s’Orcu nuraghe – a Bronze Age stone tower – the su Tiriaxiu giants’ tomb, the Nuragic complex of Sant’Uanni and the Roman baths of sa Cora.

Nearby you can visit Serdiana, another wine village with the Romanesque church of Santa Maria di Sibiola, as well as Soleminis, Donori and Sinnai. Just over half an hour away is Cagliari, with its Castello quarter and Poetto beach.

How to get to Dolianova and practical tips

This is one of the easiest Sardinian festivals to reach. From Cagliari airport and port it’s about a 40-minute drive, and regional public transport links the town to Cagliari. From Olbia or Alghero airports allow about 3 hours along the SS131 highway.

• Don’t drink and drive: pick a designated driver or stay overnight.
• Where to stay: Dolianova has a few B&Bs; Cagliari, close by, has plenty of options.
• When to arrive: in the afternoon, so you can see the cathedral in daylight before heading to the stalls.
• What to wear: November evenings are cool and damp – bring a jacket.
• Cash is useful for stalls and small producers.

Dolianova New Wine Festival 2026: FAQ

When is the Sagra del Vino Novello in Dolianova in 2026?

From 8 to 15 November 2026. Check the Comune di Dolianova’s programme for the days and times of each event.

What is vino novello?

A young wine made at least partly by carbonic maceration – fresh, fruity and meant to be drunk within a few months. In Italy it can only be sold from the end of October.

What is there to see in Dolianova?

Above all the Romanesque cathedral of San Pantaleo, plus Villa Boyl and its olive-oil museum, the old town and the area’s archaeological sites.

How far is Dolianova from Cagliari?

About 25 kilometres – just over half an hour by car from central Cagliari.