Müller Thurgau Festival: Mountain Wine

Mountain wine takes center stage in the Cembra Valley

The Müller Thurgau Festival: Mountain Wine is the most anticipated oenological event in the Cembra Valley, located in the municipality of Cembra Lisignago, in the province of Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige region. Established in the late 1980s, the festival has turned this small village into the Italian capital of Müller Thurgau—a white grape variety that perfectly embodies high-altitude viticulture, grown on the dry-stone terraced slopes that define the valley.

Palazzo Maffei, the heart of the event

The festival's main venue is the historic Palazzo Maffei, a 17th-century building in the center of Cembra. It hosts major tastings featuring dozens of labels not only from the Cembra Valley and Trentino but also from South Tyrol and other wine-producing regions and countries. Surrounding the palace, the village streets and squares come alive with a packed calendar of events blending wine, gastronomy, art, music, and street theater.

The International Müller Thurgau Wine Competition

The highlight of the festival is the awards ceremony for the International Müller Thurgau Wine Competition, which gathers a jury of oenologists, journalists, and sommeliers to evaluate the best global interpretations of the variety. Now in its twentieth year, the competition confirms Cembra's role as an international benchmark for this mountain white wine.

Experiences among heroic vineyards

In addition to tastings guided by AIS sommeliers, the festival offers immersive territorial experiences:

• Technical masterclasses led by industry experts and journalists;
• The Heroes trekking route through terraced vineyards with food and wine stops;
• The Cantine in sella e-bike tour to discover the valley's wineries;
• Showcooking, mixology workshops, and grappa distillation;
• Open-air dinners and evening performances under the stars.

A tradition that tells the story of a land

Attending the Müller Thurgau Festival means discovering the Cembra Valley and its heroic viticulture, defined by terraces, porphyry rock, and the hard work of farmers. Organized by the Comitato Mostra Valle di Cembra with the support of the Autonomous Province of Trento and Trentino Marketing, the event is now part of the "Vini e Montagna" project, which highlights the bond between wine and the alpine environment of Trentino-Alto Adige.