A Sardinian White

Last week I tried a Sardinian red wine. In an effort to comply with the “equal time” theme of this election year, I tried a Sardinian white over the weekend. Though I drank the red wine first, I picked out today’s bottle first. The description of the wine on the bottle caught my interest and my decision was made when I found out the wine was made out of a grape I haven’t tried yet: Vermentino.

Vermentino is described as an “aromatic varietal combining notes of citrus, fresh grass, herbs, and almonds with a crisp and acidic framework.” The grapes vines are very good growers and the plant needs a poor soil to keep it in check. Sardinia is ideal for the grape as it is dry and hot, two other requirements for Vermentino.


Similar to the wines made from the Monica grape, there are
two regions for Vermentino on Sardinia. On the whole island, there is the Vermentino di Sardegna DOC. Wines with this designation mean that the grapes can come from anywhere on the island. Wines with the Vermentino di Gallura DOCG come from grapes grown in the northeast end of the island (highlighted in yellow on the map to the left. Map used courtesy
WineCountryIT.)

The Vermentino I bought was made by the same winery that made the Monica wine I had last week, Argiolas. Their version is a Sardegna di Vermentino which reminded me of a Soave I had recently. The aroma of the Vermentino didn’t remind me of beer like the Soave did, but there is a certain flavor that the two share. Maybe it’s the description of almond that I’ve read both wines are supposed to have. When I first sniffed my glass of Vermentino it smelled more like a Sauvignon blanc than any thing else with a hint of pineapple. The wine had nice acidity but hardly any tannins. I liked the wine but didn’t have it with any food. It would have gone well with Chinese food.

This grape makes # 49 in my quest for 100 different grape varietals and become a member of the Wine Century Club.

Tasting Notes:

2006 Argiolas Costamolino (13.5% alcohol)

Color:  Medium golden yellow, slightly cloudy

Aroma:  Pinapple, lemon

Taste:  Like a Gavi or Soave, "nutty" flavor, nice acidity with light body

Finish:  No tannins, but the flavor lingered just approaching but never reaching a bitterness