Where the Wild Things Are: Welcome to Sardinia

BY ERIC GUIDO | MARCH 23, 2021

Sardinia can almost seem like a country, or even a continent unto itself. The island covers 9,300 square miles; and with a 125-mile separation from the mainland, when touring its diverse terrain, listening to its own dialect and taking in the regional flavors, it would be easy to forget that you are indeed in Italy.

This is a paradise island of extreme climatic differences from north to south, as craggy rock-faced coastlines give way to flat plains, then to mountains and back again to sandy beaches. The warm and dry Scirocco winds blow up from the deserts of Africa, as cooling currents flow down from the island’s higher elevations. In the north, it’s the strong and cold Mistral winds, blowing down from the south of France, which batter the coastline and mark its vegetation. These two fierce currents are the reason for the low-trained bush vines that Sardinia is known for. This island of light is also a strategic location, a launching point between western Europe, Italy and Africa, one which has inspired empires and conquerors to invade and occupy Sardinia for thousands of years. The Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Aragon and even Popes all traveled across the Sea to Sardinia to exploit and rule, yet the people of this island endured. Oftentimes it would be a retreat into the more wild, rugged and mountainous locations, which has had a large effect on both the food and wine of the region.

Being an island, you’d expect to find a heavy influence of fish and seafood, yet you’d be wrong. Instead, this is a region whose foods are based more on mountain cuisine and shepherds’ fare; as a result, their wine is often produced in a style to pair with these rich and hearty dishes. That’s not to say that Sardinia is absent of fresh fish and seafood; it’s simply not their personal preference, and it’s more aimed at the countless tourists that flood their beaches, bays and the paradise created by the resorts along the Emerald coast (Costa Smeralda). You certainly can’t go wrong with a Muggini in Teglia (mullet in olive oil and vinegar), Sardine al Pomodoro (sardines in tomato sauce), or rock lobsters tossed with spaghetti, when paired with the island’s rich and sumptuous Vermentinos or the high-acid Nuragus. 

Growing in sandy soils, these 55 year-old, bush-trained Carignano vines are the source of Quartomoro's Vine Memories CRG.

The Indigenous, or Not So Indigenous, Varieties of Sardinia

While the dizzying mix of grape varieties found throughout Sardinia are often referred to as indigenous, the reality is that the majority of them were imported over the course of millennia, primarily from the Iberian Peninsula. However, their names and even the styles of wine they create are vastly different.  

Among reds, the most well-known grape is Cannonau, a biotype of Garnacha or Grenache, also referred to as Alicante on the Tuscan coast. This variety can be found throughout the entire island, produced under the all-encompassing Cannonau di Sardinia DOC. However, it’s from the Barbagia hills, north and east of the Gennargentu Mountains near Nuoro, where Cannonau excels in poor soils of weathered granite. The extreme warmth of the day is offset by the cool, sometimes even cold, evening temperatures, that help to create the best wines. Even here, as well as throughout the entire island, heat, ripeness and high alcohol levels that come along with it, are the biggest challenges Sardinia faces with Cannonau. As for the other widespread Spanish import of the island, we find quite a few producers with wines that feature Carignano, known as Carunena or Marzuelo in Spain, as well as Carignan in the south of France. It’s in the extreme southwest of the island in the Carignano del Sulcis DOC where dark, mineral and violet-tinged expressions emerge, yet with enough primary fruit and structural intensity to warrant medium-term cellaring. In the hands of the right producers, Carignano has the potential to be great; yet through my tastings, I also witnessed many missed opportunities. It’s important to note that quite a few wines list the Bovale Grande variety in their blends, yet this grape has been shown to be Carignano. Staying on the topic of reds brings us to a number of other lesser-known varieties that are worth seeking out. There’s the pretty and bright Monica with its sneaky structural heft. The spicy, full-bodied Cagnulari, a specialty of northwest Sardinia, also referred to as Bovale Sardo, is believed to be related to Spain’s Graciano. Yet very little makes its way off of the island. (In fact, I was able to taste only two of these for this report.)