In a previous post, I introduced Cannonau, the most widely grown black grape variety in Sardinia — the cornerstone of the island’s red wines. I also explained that Cannonau is genetically identical to Grenache (France) or Garnacha (Spain), one of the world’s most abundantly planted high-quality grape varieties.
A natural follow-up question then arises: where does Cannonau/Grenache/Garnacha actually come from?
And, after all, is this really important?
As I will explain, its origin remains debated — between Spain and Sardinia. If the variety originated in Spain rather than Sardinia, to what extent can it still be considered a (quasi-)indigenous variety of the island? And does this diminish Sardinia’s Cannonau-based wines in any way?
Let’s take a closer look at the evidence.
The Spanish Origin Hypothesis
The prevailing hypothesis is that Cannonau/Garnacha originated in Spain, most likely in the Aragón region in the northeast.
Historical references to Garnacha in Spain and Cannonau in Sardinia appear around the same time, but the earliest known mentions are Spanish.
The first reference to the variety seems to date to 1513, in a book by Gabriel Alonso de Herrera, where it was called Aragones. Although under a different name, the description matches closely with today’s Garnacha. Notably, Aragones remains a synonym for Garnacha in the Madrid area, where it was said to originate.
The first appearance of the term Garnacha itself seems to be in 1678, in Cataluña Illustrada by Estevan de Corbera.
Spain’s long political domination over Sardinia (from 1479 to 1720, preceded by about a century of Catalan rule) further supports this hypothesis. Given these centuries of influence, it seems plausible that Garnacha was introduced to Sardinia during Spanish rule.
Genetic evidence also supports this view. Spain shows greater genetic diversity for the variety — including all three colour variants (black, grey, and white), along with other lesser-known mutations.
According to the classical agronomic theory by Vavilov (1926), the region displaying the greatest genetic diversity should be considered the likely place of origin. This lends significant weight to the Spanish hypothesis.
The Sardinian Origin Hypothesis
The Spanish origin theory has, however, been strongly challenged by Italian researchers, such as Lovicu, who argue that Cannonau is native to Sardinia.
In Sardinia, the first recorded mention of Cannonau (under the name Canonat) dates to 1549 — potentially before Spanish rule fully established on the island.
Furthermore, several scholars note that early Spanish references to Garnacha may have originally described white grapes and wines, not red ones. The first use of Garnacha to denote a red wine appears only in 1734.
This suggests that Garnacha may have been a misnomer derived from Vernaccia, a well-known Italian white grape, and later transferred to Cannonau. Supporting this, in Catalonia the variety is still sometimes called Vernatxa.
Additionally, Sardinia is home to other grapes with similar names — Granazza or Granaccia — raising the possibility that Cannonau was exported from Sardinia to Spain under a mistaken identity (as has happened with Carmenère and Merlot in Chile).
While colour mutations are indeed more common in Spain, recent studies indicate that Sardinian Cannonau samples display substantial genetic variability, possibly even greater than comparable Spanish samples. This undermines the assumption that diversity is higher only in Spain.
Historical records, such as Manca dell’Arca (1780), also reference other colour variants of Cannonau (including white), which may have simply disappeared over time.
Debatable Points
Both hypotheses — Spanish and Sardinian — remain open to interpretation. Personally, I find it difficult to consider Spain definitively as the place of origin. The Sardinian hypothesis appears at least equally plausible.
Contacts between Sardinia and Spain predate Catalan or Spanish rule by many centuries. Archaeological evidence indicates Sardinian settlements in southern Spain as early as 800 BC, suggesting long-standing cultural and commercial exchanges. Grapevines could easily have travelled in either direction before documented records emerged.
It’s also noteworthy that, while varieties such as Carignan (Mazuelo/Carignano) and Graciano (Cagnulari) likely reached Sardinia from Spain, others like Tempranillo, Monastrell, or Bobal did not — a fact that challenges the assumption of systematic varietal imports.
The confusion surrounding the names Garnacha/Vernatxa also weakens the Spanish-origin argument, especially when compared with the consistency of the name Cannonau in Sardinia.
Finally, even if greater diversity exists in Spain today, several factors could explain this without implying origin: mutations may have occurred later, or Sardinia’s smaller surface, or the impact of phylloxera could have led to a loss of genetic diversity over time.
Conclusions
No conclusive evidence exists on whether Cannonau/Garnacha originated in Spain or Sardinia. Yet after almost five centuries of documented presence, the variety can justifiably be considered indigenous or at least traditional to both regions.
And does Sardinia lose anything if Cannonau turns out to be Spanish in origin? Hardly. The question of where it comes from matters less than where it’s going.
Consider France, where Grenache is among the most planted black varieties and forms the backbone of some of the Rhône Valley’s greatest wines — including Châteauneuf-du-Pape. No one would claim France’s Grenache-based wines are diminished by its non-French origin. The same can be said for the excellent Grenache wines emerging from Australia.
The rediscovery and protection of truly indigenous varieties remain important, especially for lesser-known grapes tied to specific terroirs. But for a cosmopolitan variety like Cannonau/Garnacha/Grenache, what matters most are the factors of place, climate, and winemaking style. In this sense, Sardinia’s distinct contribution lies not in the grape’s birthplace, but in the unique expression of Cannonau that its terroir and tradition bring to the world of wine.
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