RICHARD FRISBIE :: The Liquors & Wines of Sardinia

While I was in Sardinia recently I had the opportunity to explore the wineries and restaurants to experience the unique tastes of wine & food of this jewel of a Mediterranean isle. Over the next few weeks I'll introduce you to the restaurants and foods I found, but for now let me tell you about the wines . . .

There was some homemade Limonello, made from alcohol, honey and lemon peel, at the Festival of Santa Greca, where a potent homemade dry red wine was also served. The wine was a bargain at 1.5 EUROs (sold in a plastic 20 oz. coke bottle, vintage 10 AM that day!) but not nearly as good as their Edmond Bernard Cabernet Sauvignon (2007 France) for 8 EUROs per bottle. With so many good cheap Sardinian wines available it was a surprise to find a French one, especially at a small local festival.



A distilled and very potent drink made from the grape byproducts of wine production is grappa. The bouquet and taste depend on the grapes it is made from. The Sardinian grapes of cannonau,  malvasia,  moscato, vermentino, and vernaccia can all be used, so the taste varies widely. Grappa is a brandy, high in alcohol, and enjoyed as an after dinner “digestive” drink. Mirto, a potent red or white liquor made from the berries of the Myrtle plant,  is also served this way. It is perhaps the best known of Sardinia drinks.

Of the popular Sardinian wines, a deliciously dry white, Nuraghe Majore (2006) and a fruity astringent red,  Capocaccia (2007) both from Sella & Mosca, were on many lists and most tables. The wine cellars of Arigolas produce whites and reds and dessert wines of excellent flavor and value. Their Perdera (2006) has a rich tannic rusticity that complemented a hearty meal of game meats with red sauces. The full-bodied red wine, Cannonau De Sardegna (2007) from Nepente Di Oliena, is from a local grape that paired perfectly with a traditional Sardinian dinner. While a white, Funtanaliras, (2005) Vermentino, was voluptuously elegant with a variety of seafood dishes.

For only 6 days in Sardinia I managed to taste all of these and more (some more than once! A grappa tasting one rainy afternoon consumed all my concentration, and that of my companions, while we searched for the best tasting. (!!) Several restaurants served unidentified pitchers of white and red wine. At one place I swear the quality of the wine went down the longer we sat there drinking it. At another, it started out bad - that was a sad evening. All-in-all, I can attest to the quality and diversity of Sardinian wines mentioned above, and can recommend them all.


Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:

RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food. It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we’ll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- I look forward to hearing from you.

You can read all of my articles  http://rfrisbie.gather.com/ or find them with those of the other Food Correspondents, plus celebrity chef content and plenty of other Foodies at  http://foodtalk.gather.com