First Impressions of Sardinian Wine

Sue and I travelled to Sardinia at the invitation of Alessandro Torcoli, editor of the quarterly journal Civilta del Bere (where Wine Economist columns, translated into Italian, sometimes appear). Alessandro organized a series of trade and press workshops and a wine competition to accompany the Porto Cervo Wine & Food Festival this year.

We were delighted to attend to speak about global trends and opportunities, help with the judging,  and to learn more about Sardinia and its wine sector.

Porto Cervo, on the beautiful Costa Smeralda in the northeast of the island, is more luxury resort than sleepy village, so there was a lot going on besides the wine, including an international press launch event for the new Porsche 911 Speedster sports car. I’ll bet the corkscrew island roads made for exciting driving. I admit that I was distracted a bit by that blue Porsche pictured here.

We only visited this one corner of Sardinia over just a few days, so a comprehensive report is impossible. But we met many winemakers and tasted their wines both at the festival and the dinners, so we have some strong first impressions to share. Here they are.

Sardinia at a Crossroads

The idea of a crossroads applies to Sardinia in several ways. As the second largest island in the Mediterranean (after Sicily) it has been an important economic and political crossroads for centuries and the local culture and even the cuisine reflect this fact.

Sardinian wine features a treasure house of native grapes plus many international varieties that have been grown here so long that they are firmly part of the tradition. Sue and I enjoyed tasting wines that we will probably never find outside of Sardinia, such as the Torbato from Sella & Mosca. The origins of Tobato are controversial, with some arguing that it was introduced from Spain in the 14th or 15th century and others insisting just the opposite. It’s that crossroad thing.

The most important red varietal is Cannonau, which you probably know as Garnacha. Sardinians claim ownership of this varietal and we tasted many fine examples. I am not going to wade into the debate as to whether it is native or introduced by the Spanish, but I will say that it is a shame that people don’t take more of an interest in these wines.

Garnacha and Grenache are having a well-deserved moment and Cannonau should share the love. But, one winemaker said with a deep sigh, Cannonau isn’t generally included when Garnacha and Grenache wines are put in the spotlight. That needs to change.

Very Vermentino (and a Surprise)

Vermentino, the most important white grape variety, makes a lovely wine in Sardinia and I think this might be the island’s best opportunity for attention on international markets. Vermentino di Sardegna is pretty much consistently tangy and delicious, with some outstanding examples such as the wines from Pala. Sauvignon Blanc drinkers should give Sardinian Vermentino a try — I think they will be surprised and delighted.

Vermintino di Gallura DOCG, from the northern region near our location in Porto Cervo, takes the quality up a notch, adding complexity driven by terroir. We tasted wines from sandy zones near the beach and rocky soils at higher altitude. We even tasted a vertical that showed the influence of different vintages and an ability to age.

Such an interesting wine with so much to offer! Favorites included Surrau, Siddura, and Jankara. Worth searching out.

Every wine region holds a surprise and for me Sardinia’s surprise wine is its Carignano di Sulcis DOC — Carignan grapes grown on sandy soils on the island’s south-west coast. The best of these wines are simply fantastic, with impressive body, balance, and flavor.

We tasted outstanding Carignano di Sulcis wines from several makers including Cantina Santadi, Cantina Mesa, and Cantina Giba.  The Sulcis region is high on my list of places to visit if/when we return to Sardinia.

Another Crossroads

Sardinia is at a crossroads in another way.  It has long produced wines for export and been whip-lashed by shifting market conditions much like its sister island Sicily (with which is it often confused by the geographically challenged). (See The World of Sicilian Wine by Bill Nesto MW and Frances Di Savio for a comprehensive analysis of Sicilian wine market twists and turns.)

Twenty years ago Sardinia was more or less defined by the commercial quality bulk wine production of large cooperatives. As demand has shifted and new competitors appeared, the market for these wines has suffered. Sardinian wine grape acreage has fallen dramatically and the momentum has shifted from quantity to quality.  That’s a difficult transition to make, especially since reputation generally lags the reality.

As you can tell from this quick report, we were looking for quality in Sardinia, which is the key to success today, and we found plenty of it. But there is still a lot of work to be done before Sardinia can confidently put this crossroads behind it and move forward into the future.

Come back next week for a case study of success and analysis of headwinds.

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Thanks to Alessandro for inviting us to Porto Cervo and to everyone we met there for their help and hospitality. Special thanks to the staff at Cervo Hotel for making our stay so enjoyable. Now if only I had found a way to disguise myself as an auto journalist to get a shot at driving the new Speedster!