Tastings, vineyards in the Colli Orientali and an estate with nearly five centuries of history. Everything you need to know to visit
Open Cellars: what it is and why go
Cantine Aperte (Open Cellars) is Italy’s national event that opens winery doors to the public every year. It’s the chance to walk into the places where wine is made, meet the people behind it, and taste directly at the source. In Friuli Venezia Giulia, the 2026 edition falls on Sunday, May 31st. Among the participating wineries is Rocca Bernarda, one of the oldest estates in the Colli Orientali del Friuli and part of the Terre dei Cavalieri project.
Rocca Bernarda: May 31st, 10 AM to 6 PM
On Sunday May 31st, Rocca Bernarda opens its doors for a full day of tastings. You can try the estate’s wines — whites, reds, the Picolit DOCG — and talk directly with the people who make them. The hours run from 10 AM to 6 PM: a wide enough window to arrive in the morning and stay through the afternoon, or stop by for a shorter visit.
Tastings are paid, starting at €2.50 per glass. The format works well for anyone who wants to try several wines without commitment: you choose what to taste, pay per glass, and move on. No need to book a fixed package.
What you’ll taste
Rocca Bernarda’s production focuses on the white wines of the Colli Orientali del Friuli. Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio: grape varieties that on these marl and sandstone soils reach an expression hard to find anywhere else. Each wine carries a name linked to the naval tradition of the Order of Malta, which owns the estate: Brigantino for the Sauvignon, Burlandina for the Friulano, Radì for the Ribolla Gialla.
Among the reds, Cabernet Franc and Merlot round out the range. But the culmination of the tasting is the Picolit DOCG, the rarest sweet wine in Italy, which Rocca Bernarda has been producing since 1559. Tasting it where it’s born, with the vineyards around you and the winemaker in front of you, is an experience you can’t replicate at home.
The place
Rocca Bernarda is located in Ipplis, a hamlet of Premariacco, in the heart of the Colli Orientali del Friuli. The estate is a sixteenth-century villa surrounded by vineyards climbing the hills of ponca — the local marl and sandstone soil. It belongs to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and is part of the Terre dei Cavalieri project, which brings together multiple estates across different Italian regions: Rocca Bernarda in Friuli, Villa Giustiniani in Veneto, Castello di Magione in Umbria.
The landscape in late May is at its best: the rows are in full leaf, the light is long, and the temperatures are perfect for being outdoors. This is when the Colli Orientali show themselves for what they are: green, quiet hills with a beauty that doesn’t need to be explained.
Practical information
Address: Via Rocca Bernarda 27, Premariacco (UD), fraz. Ipplis. Phone: +39 0432 716914. Email: roccabernarda@sagrivit.it. Hours: Sunday May 31st, 10 AM to 6 PM. Paid tastings starting at €2.50 per glass.
By car, it’s 20 minutes from Udine and 10 from Cividale del Friuli. There’s no convenient public transport to the estate: driving is the most practical option. Parking is on site.
Why choose Rocca Bernarda among Friuli’s open cellars
Cantine Aperte is an occasion where you can choose from dozens of wineries on the same day. The selection, inevitably, happens beforehand. Rocca Bernarda has three things that set it apart from most.
The first is history. This isn’t a winery founded in the 1990s: it’s an estate with documentation going back to 1559. The connection to the Order of Malta isn’t decorative: it’s the reason this place exists as a production unit.
The second is the Picolit. Not every winery in the Colli Orientali produces it, and Rocca Bernarda is one of the historic producers. Tasting it during Cantine Aperte, starting at just a few euros, is a real opportunity.
The third is the project. Visiting Rocca Bernarda doesn’t mean discovering just one winery: it means discovering Terre dei Cavalieri, a system of estates producing wine in three regions. If you like Friuli, there’s a Prosecco in Veneto and reds in Umbria waiting. One visit, three territories to explore.
After the visit
The wines tasted during Cantine Aperte can be purchased directly at the estate. If you want to keep drinking what you discovered, you can also order from the Terre dei Cavalieri online shop, where bottles from all three estates are available.
Cantine Aperte lasts one day. The wine you discover that day stays with you. Rocca Bernarda, Via Rocca Bernarda 27, Ipplis di Premariacco. Sunday May 31st, 10 AM to 6 PM.
