2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
The combination of Catalan heritage with Italy’s rich culture of gastronomy has created a culinary paradise in Alghero, a charming old village on Sardinia’s northwest coast. In addition to simple grilled branzino and sublime pastas with bottarga or fresh mussels, trattorias here feature endemic Algherese dishes, including a local version of paella as well as lobster, a specialty of this stretch of coastline so prized that the current queen of England chose to serve it at her wedding.
Alghero is also the epicenter of a wine region characterized by abundant Mediterranean sunshine, salty coastal breezes, and rocky soils of quartz and limestone. With a luscious fragrance of herbs and flowers, the crisp, lemony Vermentino from Vigne Rada is a wonderful introduction to Alghero’s bounty.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Vermentino |
Appellation: | Vermentino di Sardegna |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Sardinia |
Producer: | Vigne Rada |
Winemaker: | Gino Bardino and family |
Vineyard: | 8 years average |
Soil: | Alluvial with riverbed stones and quartz; clay, limestone, chalk |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Vermentino di Sardegna
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Cannonau di Sardegna
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Alghero
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Vino Rosso
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia | Isola dei Nuraghi
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia | Isola dei Nuraghi
Our first foray into Sardegna is very recent, and it only took one trip to fall in love with the island, its culture, and its wines. Similar to its northerly neighbor, Corsica, there is a strong regional identity here that goes far beyond its official status as one of Italy’s twenty regions. Its people are proud, strong-willed, and deeply attached to their traditions—a distinctive character often seen with island people and accentuated by its long history of invasions and outside rule.
This tumultuous past has resulted in diverse influences—Greek, Roman, Aragonese, Catalan, and Ligurian, just to name a few—that have shaped the island’s culture, language, cuisine, and wines over many centuries. While Vermentino and Cannonau (aka Grenache) reign, Sardegna also boasts a number of indigenous grapes that are capable of expressing something unique in its abundant variety of terroirs.
The Mediterranean plays a major role, providing cooling, salty breezes to coastal areas, while the rugged, mountainous interior is home to high-altitude sites where wines retain freshness in spite of the southerly latitude. The granitic highlands of Gallura and Barbagia come to mind as some of its most qualitative zones, but a range of soils, elevations, and varying distance to the sea mean that the island is capable of producing wines in all styles, from crisp whites to powerful reds and exquisite vini dolci.
The three growers we represent bring something new to the table, something fascinating that is not found elsewhere in Italy or even in nearby Corsica. Their wines evoke the rustic beauty of this fascinating island civilization, and of course, pair perfectly with the local cuisine, be it seafood-based or the hearty, earthy specialties of its interior.
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia | Isola dei Nuraghi
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Vermentino di Sardegna
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Vino Rosso
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Vino da Tavola
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Cannonau di Sardegna
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia | Vermentino di Gallura
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Vino da Tavola
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Cannonau di Sardegna
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Alghero
You don’t have to be rich to cellar a great wine.
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa