Sardinia

Vines and wine have been present in Sardinia for around 5,000 years, based on findings of amphorae (traditional wine vessels) in the area of the Nuraghi, a people on the island at the time. In the province of Nuoro, a Phoenician ‘oenological laboratory’ was discovered, complete with vats and tanks for fermentation and conservation of wine.

Today vines are grown throughout the island, with its rough and rugged interior terrain and elements of the Mediterranean in both its soil and its winds.

Indigenous grapes include Bovale, Caddiu, Cagnulari, Carignano, Girò, Monica and Nieddera. But the most famous and widely cultivated Sardinian red berried grape is the Cannonau, which derives its name from Spanish Canonazo (parts of Sardinia were under Spanish rule for much of the Middle Ages) and is a close sibling of Grenache.