The Taste of Sardinia
Mario Siddi
Mario Siddi is production manager at the agricultural company surrau srl and belongs to a new generation of wine producers. Vigne surrau was founded in the early 2000s by the demuro family and produces modern and territorial wines surrounded by the hills of arzachena. Some of the vineyards can even be spotted from the capogiro restaurant. We will gladly serve you the wines over dinner, or you can sample them at the modern winery.Sardinia’s north is characterised by granite rocks and breathtaking landscapes. What does this mean for the local wine, and what makes it special?
The vineyards of Gallura grow in soils resulting from the disintegration of those bizarrely shaped granite rocks, formed hundreds of millions of years ago. The wines soak up all the strength and minerals from these rocks, which – coupled with the proximity to the sea and the dry mistral that blows from the north-west – creates a perfect microclimate for ripening grapes and producing high-quality wines.
Imagine a carefree summer day on a boat headed to one of the countless bays. Do you have a favourite spot, and what wine would you drink there?
In Sardinia, there’s no shortage of special places to enjoy a moment of freedom. In a hidden, unexplored bay or atop a granite rock facing the sea, you can choose a new favourite spot every day. Your joy will be complete if your glass of wine mirrors the scents you can pick up along the coastal paths of the Mediterranean maquis as the waves lap the shore. Tasting a Vermentino di Gallura, the most characteristic grape variety of this area of Sardinia, will give you exactly this experience.
The Sardinian cuisine has a distinct character and uses a variety of local products. How would you describe the culinary pleasure of Sardinia?
Sardinia’s complex flavour history has seasoned the food and wine traditions from north to south, creating a variety of unique colours, tastes and local characteristics. Native products from the sea or from sheep farming help to conjure up culinary variations and interpretations linked to Mediterranean cuisine, interweaving Spanish, African and Middle Eastern influences with an all-Italian way of cooking – always based on a deep respect for natural, raw ingredients. It is a sweet blend of decisive flavours, simplicity and authenticity that Sardinia offers its visitors – a flavourful world with a different facet ready to be discovered each time. The great singer-songwriter Fabrizio De Andrè once said: ‘Life in Sardinia is perhaps the best that a man can wish for: twenty-four thousand square kilometres of forests, of countryside, of coastline immersed in a miraculous sea – precisely how I imagine God’s paradise to be.’
To vigne surrau