New Year of Wine and Grape Stomping Palio

The New Year of Wine in San Giovanni in Marignano

Every year, at the end of September, the village of San Giovanni in Marignano, in the province of Rimini, in Emilia-Romagna, celebrates its very special "New Year": not the one from the calendar, but the New Year of wine. The New Year of Wine and Grape Stomping Palio celebrates the end of the grape harvest and welcomes the new wine, bringing to life the wine culture and rural traditions of Romagna through an authentic leap back in time to the early 20th century, when grape stomping was a true occasion for celebration for the entire community.

The village that returns to the early 20th century

For the occasion, the historic centre of San Giovanni in Marignano transforms into a large living tableau. Over a hundred costumed figures parade through the streets and squares, ancient crafts of rural civilization are revived, and the historic tavern comes alive with the flavours of the past. The day is accompanied by itinerant music, stalls from the "Il Vecchio e l'Antico" market dedicated to antiques and vintage items, games for all ages, and food stalls offering Romagna's traditional dishes.

The Grape Stomping Palio

The heart of the festival is the Grape Stomping Palio, a spectacular competition that attracts hundreds of spectators every year. The four historic districts of the town — La Cattolica, Monte di Conca, Pian di Ventena, and Pietrafitta — present themselves in costume and compete for the coveted Palio di Marignano by barefoot grape stomping inside large vats: the winner is the one who manages to obtain the largest quantity of must. It is the moment when rural memory and village festival merge into a single, great collective emotion.

The wines and flavours of the territory

The New Year of Wine is also, and above all, an opportunity to discover the wines of the territory of Valconca and the Rimini Riviera. In the village squares, local wineries offer their labels for tasting, accompanied by typical products and Romagna cuisine. New wine, must, piadina, and rural specialities are the common thread of an event that combines taste, tradition, and local identity.

A historic event in Valconca

Born in 2000, the New Year of Wine has grown to become one of the main events on the calendar in San Giovanni in Marignano, alongside the Night of the Witches, Spring in the Square, and the St. Lucia Fair. The event, with free admission, now represents a precious opportunity to rediscover the flavours, aromas, and traditions of Romagna's agriculture, in one of the most characteristic villages of the Rimini hinterland.