Saturday Wine Ruminations – Cannonau di Sardegna 2003

Cannonau is the most popular red varietal in Sardinia, although it is much better known outside the island as Grenache in France or Garnacha in Spain. Still, it is in Sardinia that Cannonau di Sardegna forms almost one third of local wine production and boasts a unique symbolic status. Here it is often considered to be an aboriginal vine, Sardinia born and bred, and Sardinia’s ancient gift to wine-growers of other regions, although despite combined efforts of Sardinian paleobotanists and archaeologists no conclusive evidence of this has been found so far. In fact, Cannonau wine rather is like Sardinia itself, robust, full of flavour and slightly on the wild side. Cannonau di Sardegna DOC can also often be rather rough and severe when young even after its statutory 6 months in barrels.

That’s why the Cannonau di Sardegna riserva 2003 made by Sella&Mosca company and available at the LCBO for a very moderate price of $14.95 has been such a wonderful find. This wine is mellowed in barrels for 2 years and the result is very impressive. Beautiful garnet colour, rich fruity aroma with subtle hints of smoke, elegant prune-and-cherry flavour with slight undertones of leather. As soon (all too soon!) as we finished our first bottle we went for some more.

It is indeed as interesting as the isle of Sardinia, a fascinating archaic land with picturesque Medieval traditions and a language of its own, that is more close to Latin than to modern day Italian, although Sardinia lies in just a few hours by ferry from continental Italy. Apparently Sella and Mosca, respectively an engineer and a lawyer from Piedmont, Northern Italy, came to Sardinia in the end of the 19th century and just fell in love with the land and its vineyards and that’s how one of the oldest prestigious Italian wine-companies was born.

Cannonau di Sardegna of Sella&Mosca would be perfect with game and strong cheeses, but it is also lovely when drunk on its own: during a quiet evening at home with maybe a couple of guests one enjoys talking to and who can appreciate sharing a bottle of good wine and talking of cabbages and kings over it.

Another beautiful Sardinian wine that unfortunately isn’t present at LCBO right now (but I do hope to see it there some day soon!) is elegant dry white wine made of Vermentino varietal, usually with a little pleasant hint of bitter in its flavour, wonderful with oysters, sea-urchins and other seafood. The best Vermentino di Sardegna comes from the North-East of the island and has a special appellation DOC – Vermentino di Gallura. That is the end of Italy, from Santa Teresa di Gallura one can go by ferry to the Isle of Beauty, Napoleon’s island of Corsica and pass from one breathtaking landscape to another in just half an hour. Actually you can just order an espresso to recognize which side of the border you're on (if it is hardly drinkable, it would be France, of course!). Still, there are consolations – some exceptional Corsican wines to name just one, but this is yet another story.