|
|
 |
| by
David Lynch, Wine Director
|
| THIS
MONTH: SARDINIA
|
Still somewhat unsung among
Italy's huge crop of wines are those of Sardinia, which, whether
white or red, capture the island's wild, untamed surroundings
in a bottle. Drawing from a palette of grapes of mostly Spanish
origin (the island was controlled by Spain's Aragon Dynasty
from the 14th through the 18th centuries), Sardinia's winemakers
are turning out an ever-improving and appealingly diverse selection
of bottlings.
On the white side, Sardinia's native vermentino (also found
on the Tuscan and Ligurian coasts) is one of Italy's most distinctive
indigenous varieties. Able to withstand the intense heat and
light of the island, vermentino struggles to put down roots
in famously rocky soils, and the resultant wines are marked
by a pronounced herbal character. In fact, the wines seem to
pick up flavor from all of the wild Mediterranean scrub that
grows alongside it: wild sage, mint, fennel, myrtle, and the
countless other plants that somehow turn green and fragrant
in the dusty, rocky earth.
Sardinia's principal red grapes are cannonau (the local name
for grenache, or garnacha) and carignano (carignane). Both of
these varieties have found greater fame in Spain (Rioja) and
southwest France (Languedoc, among others), but Sardinia is
not to be overlooked. Cannonau di Sardegna, made all over the
island, combines the earthly complexity of a good Rioja with
the plushness of a California pinot noir. Carignano, a specialty
of the southwestern region of Sulcis, is a black and deeply
fruity wine built to take on the likes of Aussie shiraz. At
the moment, the Sulcis winery called Santadi is Sardinia's principal
carignano specialist, and if you can get your hands on the potent
"Terre Brune" Carignano del Sulcis you will not be disappointed;
it is one of Italy'™s great reds, just without the eye-popping
price tag. Here are two other Sardinian greats to go along with
it:
WHITE
Tenute Soletta, Vermentino di Sardegna
"Prestizu" 2000
Everything you expect from vermentino, with a little more body
and fruit intensity layered on top. Smell this wine and be instantly
transported to the Mediterranean coast, where you might sip
this zippy, savory white alongside a pungent, herb-scented zuppa
di pesce. An evocative, well-structured white at a bargain price.
RED
Argiolas "Turriga" 1997
 |
 |
To
purchase any of these wines, visit
Italian Wine Merchants online or in
New York City, just off Union Square! |
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
