For Wine Wednesday we are discovering wines from Sardinia in Southwest Florida. I have just returned from a week on the Italian island doing lots of food and wine research. If you are looking to try something new, these wines are for you.
While there are a lot of vineyards on the island, not many of the wines make it to the United States. I visited the country’s biggest producer, Surrau. The winery and vineyards are in Sardinia’s beautiful Costa Smeralda. About 20% of their wine gets exported and Florida is on the list.
As a matter of fact, the bottles pictured below, with one exception, are the labels to look for in the United States.
About Wines from Sardinia In Southwest Florida
Sardinia grows a variety of grapes but the flagships are vermentino for white wine and cannanou for red. Vermentino is grown all over the world but the grapes grown here are a little different due to the climate and the soil.
The wines tend to have more minerals and even have a bit of salinity to them. They are perfect with seafood and a lot of the cheeses found here.
As for the cannanou, it is the Sardinian name for grenache. The grapes here are said to have more antioxidants than any other. Sardinia is a so-called Blue Zone afterall. Blue Zones are areas where people live longer, are generally in better health than the rest of the world.
Vermintino is Surrau’s specialty, but they also produce some lovely cannanou and even use those grapes for rose, sparkling wine and sweet passito. Check out this quick video from my winery visit and tasting.
If you make it to Sardinia and Costa Smeralda, book a tasting and tour at this winery. The facility is immaculate and high tech. The tasting room has a superb view, and the wines are a great discovery.
We tasted some of the dessert wines, a rose and sparkling wine too. They are not exported to the United States, but you can buy them at the winery and either ship or pack.
Photos Of Wines From Sardinia In Southwest Florida
