Sardinia Wine

Anyone who has been to Sardinia can not help but be impressed by the sheer beauty of the place. The whitewash buildings, the golden beaches and crystal clear waters are just idyllic and with this backdrop the wine is romanticised. When I drink Sardinian wine it takes me back to that photograph in my mind, the warm sun, the Mediterranean olive oil, tomatos to die for and all my sense come alive remembering my first experiences of Sardinia and its wine.

However, historically, Sardinia just wasn't that bothered about making wine. Don't get me wrong, compared to Botswana, it's bothered, but compared to most other Italian regions, it simply never got its act together. Despite being blessed with 19 D.O.C wines, fantastic soil and the grape varieties of two major countries, Sardinia really just couldn't muster the energy to get serious.

10 Years ago BAM Sardinia joined the Italian wine party. Now every supermarket or small wine shop has a Sardinian range, thanks mostly to the efforts of some of the more famous winemakers (Argiolas especially). Years ago it would have been hard to find a wine from Sardinia (internationally) but the re-emergence of their D.O.C wines in the last 10 years has been phenomenal. Sardinia has 19 D.O.C wines, that is more than Umbria or Sicily, it's a big advantage and one that Sardinia is now exploiting.

Wines of Sardinia

The island of Sardinia is located in between Italy and Spain (closer to Italy) and as such has taken the best parts of both countries as any Sardinian tourist can tell you. It's the most isolated wine region of Italy and as such produces some "out-there" wines away from the eyes of Rome. These idiosyncratic wines can be very peculiar to the Italian wine enthusiast but nevertheless are interesting to discover.

Sardinia's special location between Spain and Italy has lent a mix of influences over the years and this can be seen when visiting the island in its food, architecture and its wine. Grapes from Spain were brought over to Sardinia and are still used to today in the islands most famous red wine, Cannonou, the Sardinian answer to Spanish Grenache. Traditionally high in alcohol with a unique flavour.

Sardinia also has one exceptional wine operating outside of the classification system, the Turriga wine has enjoyed remarkable success both at home and abroad.

In the white wine corner we have Vermentino di Gallura, Sardinia's only D.O.C.G wine is notable, a delicate, fruity wine with an almond, butterscotch nose. White wines dominate the D.O.C classifications to reds in Sardinia 2:1 but only Moscato di Sardegna and Nuragus di Cagliari are of any calibre.

TN to follow Cannonou, Turriga, Vermentino di Gallura, Moscato di Sardegna and Nuragus di Cagliari.