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Sardinia

27 000 ha under vine

Soils
Granite and schist uplands, limestone plateaus, coastal sands
Climate
Dry maritime Mediterranean, scoured by the maestrale

On the map

Sardinia — 27 000 haLanguedoc — 220 000 haBordeaux — 110 000 haSicily — 98 000 haVeneto — 96 000 haPuglia — 87 000 haSouthern Rhône — 66 000 haRioja — 66 000 haTuscany — 60 000 haLoire Valley — 57 000 haEmilia-Romagna — 50 000 haKakheti — 48 000 haSouth-West France — 45 000 haPiedmont — 43 000 haDouro — 43 000 haChampagne — 34 000 haAbruzzo — 33 000 haUtiel-Requena — 32 000 haBurgundy — 29 500 haRheinhessen — 27 000 haProvence — 27 000 haFriuli — 25 000 haRibera del Duero — 25 000 haPenedès — 25 000 haPfalz — 23 000 haCampania — 23 000 haLombardy — 22 000 haAlentejo — 22 000 haJumilla — 22 000 haMinho — 21 000 haRoussillon — 20 000 haRueda — 20 000 haDão — 20 000 haMarche — 16 000 haBaden — 15 800 haAlsace — 15 600 haBeaujolais — 13 500 haBurgenland — 13 000 haUmbria — 12 000 haBairrada — 12 000 haNavarra — 11 000 haTrentino — 10 000 haŠtajerska — 9 000 haCalabria — 9 000 haMosel — 8 800 haDalmatia — 8 000 haJerez — 7 000 haCyprus — 7 000 haAttica — 6 500 haFranken — 6 100 haCorsica — 6 000 haTokaj — 5 800 haAlto Adige — 5 600 haToro — 5 600 haEger — 5 000 haImereti — 5 000 haBasilicata — 5 000 haValais — 4 800 haNorthern Rhône — 4 400 haRías Baixas — 4 300 haNahe — 4 200 haSussex & Kent — 4 000 haRheingau — 3 200 haBierzo — 3 000 haNemea — 3 000 haMantinia — 2 400 haSavoie — 2 200 haJura — 2 000 haPriorat — 2 000 haBekaa Valley — 2 000 haWachau — 1 350 haValdeorras — 1 300 haVayots Dzor — 1 300 haSantorini — 1 100 haRacha-Lechkhumi — 700 haNaoussa — 700 haMadeira — 450 haRapsani — 400 haColares — 20 haSardiniaLanguedocBordeauxSicilyVenetoPugliaSouthern RhôneRiojaTuscanyLoire ValleyEmilia-RomagnaKakhetiSouth-West FrancePiedmontDouroChampagneAbruzzoUtiel-RequenaBurgundyRheinhessenProvenceFriuliRibera del DueroPenedèsPfalzCampaniaLombardyAlentejoJumillaMinhoRoussillonRuedaDãoMarcheBadenAlsaceBeaujolaisBurgenlandUmbriaBairradaNavarraTrentinoŠtajerskaCalabriaMoselDalmatiaJerezCyprusAtticaFrankenCorsicaTokajAlto AdigeToroEgerImeretiBasilicataValaisNorthern RhôneRías BaixasNaheSussex & KentRheingauBierzoNemeaMantiniaSavoieJuraPrioratBekaa ValleyWachauValdeorrasVayots DzorSantoriniRacha-LechkhumiNaoussaMadeiraRapsaniColares
Blob size ≈ vineyard area · approximate locations · coastlines from Natural Earth

Grape residues from the nuragic age argue that Sardinians were making wine long before classical times, giving the island one of the Mediterranean's oldest claims to a native wine culture. Centuries under the Crown of Aragon and Spain left the modern vineyard its backbone: cannonau, the local grenache, and carignano, still grown ungrafted in the sands of Sulcis.

Each corner of the island has its speciality — Gallura's granite hills give a saline vermentino, the island's only DOCG, while the south holds to its deep, sun-cured reds. Sardinia's most curious fame is demographic: the "blue zone" villages of the interior, where cannonau is drunk daily, count so many centenarians that researchers keep returning to ask why.

The vineyard

Indicative share of plantings

The wines

Cannonau di Sardegna Red wine Vermentino di Gallura Dry white

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 30The Monastic Middle Ages — 20Exploration & the Fortified Age — 25Classifications & the Golden Age — 20Phylloxera & the World Crises — 20The Modern & New World Era — 45Antiquity30500150017001875195045
Origins & Antiquity Antiquity The Monastic Middle Ages 500 Exploration & the Fortified Age 1500 Classifications & the Golden Age 1700 Phylloxera & the World Crises 1875 The Modern & New World Era 1950