Sardinian Wine Stories

  • Sardinia’s climate: a primer

    Climate is the second most important determinant of a wine, after grape variety. Understanding climate — and its interaction with viticulture — is therefore essential to understanding Sardinia’s wines. Sardinia is one of the earliest regions of grape cultivation in the Western Mediterranean. Over centuries, vines and viticultural practices have adapted to the island’s prevailing…

    Read more: Sardinia’s climate: a primer

  • Tasting Note: Tuvaoes 2023 – Cherchi – Vermentino di Sardegna DOC

    Cherchi’s Tuvaoes is another compelling demonstration of what Sardinia can achieve with Vermentino across its diverse soils and microclimates. Produced in the area of Usini, in the province of Sassari (north-west Sardinia), this wine does not fall within the Vermentino di Gallura denomination of the north-east. Yet it stands as one of the island’s most…

    Read more: Tasting Note: Tuvaoes 2023 – Cherchi – Vermentino di Sardegna DOC

  • Tasting Note: I Giganti Bianco 2024 – Cantina Contini – Isola dei Nuraghi IGT

    Today’s tasting is dedicated to I Giganti Bianco, one of the newer labels from Cantina Contini. This white wine is a carefully calibrated blend of Sardinia’s indigenous grape varieties, resulting in a style that is both gourmand and ripe, yet elegant and layered. It offers a clear sense of identity, showcasing Vernaccia in a convincing…

    Read more: Tasting Note: I Giganti Bianco 2024 – Cantina Contini – Isola dei Nuraghi IGT

  • Tasting Note: Dominariu 2023 – Melis – Terralba DOC

    This tasting note is dedicated to Dominariu, a varietal Bovale red wine produced by Melis, a family-run winery based in Terralba — the reference terroir for Bovale-based wines and the heartland of the Campidano di Terralba DOC. Bovale is one of Sardinia’s lesser-known native grape varieties, capable of producing structured, tannic and full-bodied wines, yet…

    Read more: Tasting Note: Dominariu 2023 – Melis – Terralba DOC

  • Carignano: Where Sardinia’s Terroir Provides Excellence

    Introduction Carignano is the third most-planted black grape variety in Sardinia and the fourth most planted variety overall, after Cannonau, Monica, and Vermentino. With approximately 2,000 hectares under vine, Carignano accounts for about 7% of Sardinia’s total vineyard area. Despite these relatively modest figures, Carignano-based wines—whose production is overwhelmingly concentrated in the Sulcis region in…

    Read more: Carignano: Where Sardinia’s Terroir Provides Excellence

  • Tasting Note: Deminera 2021 – Sa Defenza – Vino Rosso

    This tasting note is dedicated to Deminera, a distinctive red wine produced by Sa Defenza, one of the pioneers of Sardinia’s emerging low-intervention wine movement. Deminera is an artisanal red wine made almost entirely from Cannonau, interpreted here through a decidedly natural lens. Its name means “from the mine” in Sardinian, a tribute to the…

    Read more: Tasting Note: Deminera 2021 – Sa Defenza – Vino Rosso

  • Tasting Note: Zojòsu 2022 – Tenuta Masone Mannu – Cannonau di Sardegna DOC

    This tasting note is dedicated to Zojòsu, a varietal red wine made from Cannonau (Grenache) by Tenuta Masone Mannu, a renowned estate based in Monti, in the inland heart of the Gallura region (north-east Sardinia). While both the area and the estate are particularly well known for the production of crisp and mineral Vermentino di…

    Read more: Tasting Note: Zojòsu 2022 – Tenuta Masone Mannu – Cannonau di Sardegna DOC

  • Tasting Note: Ottomarzo 2016 – Tenute Dettori – Romangia Rosso IGT

    This tasting note is dedicated to Ottomarzo, a truly distinctive red wine and one of the very few examples of a varietal Pascale wine. Pascale is a Sardinian black grape variety that has traditionally been used in blends, very rarely bottled on its own, most likely because of its challenging viticultural and enological profile. When…

    Read more: Tasting Note: Ottomarzo 2016 – Tenute Dettori – Romangia Rosso IGT

  • Vermentino: the Sardinian White Bewitching the World

    Vermentino is Sardinia’s leading white grape variety — and one of the most talked-about Mediterranean grapes today. Plantings keep rising, not only on the island but across the globe, and its name is increasingly replacing long-standing synonyms like Rolle in Provence. Versatile, expressive, and unmistakably Mediterranean, Vermentino offers an impressive range of styles depending on…

    Read more: Vermentino: the Sardinian White Bewitching the World

  • Tasting Note: Su’nico 2022 – Cantina Su’entu – Marmilla Bovale IGT

    This tasting note is dedicated to Su’Nico, a varietal Bovale produced by the innovative Cantina Su’Entu. Bovale is another hidden gem among Sardinia’s native grape varieties — capable of yielding tannic, structured, full-bodied wines of great elegance, aromatic intensity, and personality. While Bovale’s historic heartland is northern Campidano (centre-western Sardinia), Su’Nico comes from the slightly…

    Read more: Tasting Note: Su’nico 2022 – Cantina Su’entu – Marmilla Bovale IGT

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