San Marino wine, from a 1253 vineyard lease to the Cantina

Ask whether San Marino makes wine and the short answer is yes. The longer answer is more interesting. Its leading winery was set up by the state itself, the vineyards fit inside a country of 61 km², and some bottles are made in runs of two thousand. For anyone who likes wine, that’s exactly what makes a short trip worthwhile.

Wine with paperwork going back to 1253

The winery starts its own story with a piece of notarial paperwork. It dates from the spring of 1253, a vineyard lease between two Sammarinese, and the plot lay at Valdragone. Its timeline also mentions an agricultural statute of 1813 with rules for growing vines, and a rural land register of 1775 already listing Biancale, Trebbiano, Moscatello, Albana and Sangiovese. I like that many of today’s grapes are the same ones farmed two and a half centuries ago.

By the late 19th century, again according to the winery, the caves of Borgo Maggiore were where fairgoers stopped to taste local wine, and several Sammarinese growers took silver and bronze medals at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1878, 1889 and 1890. That’s a more serious wine history than you’d expect from a country most people see in an afternoon.

The Cantina, or the state as winemaker

The turning point came in 1979, when the Consorzio Vini Tipici di San Marino was founded, bringing together the Eccellentissima Camera (in plain English, the state) and two growers’ co-operatives. What followed was a group of growers working to a strict specification, new vineyards with local clones alongside international varieties and, in 2013, the current shop and barrel room. In 2017 part of the vineyard went organic, and in 2019 L’Intruso became its first certified organic wine. The consortium now trades as Cantina San Marino.

This model strikes me as very San Marino. In a country this small, putting the state and the growers into one project makes more sense than twenty wineries that never reach critical mass, and the upshot is a wine rarely seen outside the country. For what to eat with it, and the full list of wines and liqueurs, head to San Marino food and drink. Here I’m sticking to the winery.

Its 2026 range goes well beyond the classic red. There are two sparkling wines, Briza Brut and Riserva Titano, whites such as Caldese, Roncale and Grilèt, reds such as Tessano and Sterpeto Riserva, a Val Dragone line in red and white, still and sparkling Moscato, and grappa made from Brugneto and from Moscato. For a first visit I wouldn’t try to cover it all. Two whites, one red and the sweet passito tell you most of what San Marino does.

From Dogana to Montegiardino, terroir in miniature

The winery describes vineyards at very different heights, from about 50 metres around Dogana to 400 around Montegiardino, on clay, limestone and sandstone, with winds from both the Adriatic and the Apennines. Harvest starts in early August and ends in early October, and the same grape can ripen fifteen days apart between the top and the bottom of the country.

It names a few special spots. Monte Pulito in upper Faetano, windy all summer with cool nights. The Cinque Vie in upper Falciano, where Sangiovese gets the full southern sun. And Valdragone, whose Sangiovese the house calls fresh and easy-drinking, plus the vines right behind the winery, under the Titano cliff, which it counts among the country’s oldest. The most planted white is Biancale, of disputed origin between Tuscan Trebbiano and Bianchello, grown mainly around Falciano, Serravalle and Faetano.

Can you visit the winery?

Yes, if you get in touch first. The Cantina is at Strada Serrabolino 89 in Borgo Maggiore, and its website asks visitors to make contact for a visit with tasting. In the February 2026 copy of its site, the shop opened Monday to Friday 8:30-12:30 and 14:30-18:30 and Saturday 8:30-12:30, closed on Sundays. It sells the wines, spirits, a vermouth and a bitter, plus Consorzio Terra di San Marino produce.

I’d go in the morning, before or after heading up to the old town, and not leave it for a Sunday. If you’re tasting, someone shouldn’t be driving, which is a good argument for staying down in Borgo. To compare with what the old town sells, my guide to shopping and tax-free in San Marino has the details.

The grape festival in Ventoso

The official 2024 calendar of festivals in the castelli listed the Festa dell’Uva in Ventoso, a village of Borgo Maggiore, from 23 to 25 August. Wikipedia places it in mid-September, in the Passo del Sorbo park, as the symbolic start of the harvest. Two sources, two dates and nothing announced for 2026, so the Borgo Maggiore council is who I’d ask before building a trip around it.