Cerasum – Tortoreto Cerasuolo Festival

Cerasum, the debut of the Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo festival

In July 2026, the village of Tortoreto Alto, in the province of Teramo, hosted the first edition of Cerasum – Tortoreto Cerasuolo Festival, the inaugural event entirely dedicated to Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo. Promoted by the Tortoreto Municipal Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Consorzio Tutela Vini d'Abruzzo, the event was born with a clear goal: to finally give Cerasuolo a stage of its own, dispelling the misconception that it is merely a simple rosé. It is no coincidence that the opening talk was titled: «Cerasuolo is not a rosé».

A rosé wine with an Abruzzo heart

Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo is a wine with a characteristic cherry color—from which it takes its name—obtained from Montepulciano grapes through a brief maceration on the skins. As Alessandro Nicodemi, president of the Consorzio Tutela Vini d'Abruzzo, noted, it is a wine that stands out «for its history, color, personality, and versatility», serving as an ambassador for the region even in international markets. Cerasum puts it center stage with over forty producers arriving from all four provinces of the region: L'Aquila, Teramo, Pescara, and Chieti.

The village streets and the La Cerasa d'Oro competition

The festival is divided into several segments. The popular heart of the event is Le Vie del Borgo, the tasting trail that brings the narrow streets of Tortoreto Alto to life: wineries open their tasting stands, accompanied by local culinary offerings. Alongside the public event is the La Cerasa d'Oro wine competition, which in its first edition featured 80 wines from 61 companies, evaluated by a technical commission of seven experts in the Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC and Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC Superiore categories. The third pillar of the event is Cerasum B2B, a day of professional meetings between producers and restaurant industry professionals, hosted in the gardens of Palazzo Liberati.

Music, sustainability, and a record-breaking debut

The evenings in the village are accompanied by live music from the Triortaki and DJ sets by Filippo Porrini. In line with Tortoreto's green vocation—which has held the Spiga Verde award for several years—a free shuttle service was provided between Tortoreto Lido and the historic center. The first edition closed with over 5,000 attendees and nearly 2,000 tasting tickets sold: a debut that Mayor Domenico Piccioni called «a winning bet» and which the Councilor for Agriculture Francesco Marconi, the festival's creator, integrated into the regional identity enhancement path started with Tortoreto Greendays.