Argiolas has been the reference point for Sardinian wine since the 1900s, and Costera is its Cannonau from the far south of the island, where granite and limestone hills run down toward the sea. The 2020 vintage was a warm, steady year across Sardinia, and the wine carries that weight without losing its footing.
- Cannonau, Sardinia's own name for Grenache.
- Cannonau di Sardegna, the island's flagship DOC.
- 2020, a warm and generous Sardinian vintage.
- Full body, medium tannin, medium acidity.
- 14% alcohol, dry.
How it is made
Cannonau is the grape Sardinians have grown longer than any other, and the DOC rules keep it that way: a Cannonau di Sardegna must be at least 85% Cannonau, and the best sites sit on the island's decomposed granite, which drains fast and forces the vines to work for water. The result is small berries, thick skins, and a wine with colour and grip to spare.
How it tastes
Red cherry and plum lead, then dried herbs, leather and a warm spice that lingers. The tannins are medium and ripe, the body full, the acidity medium, so it holds its shape rather than turning heavy. There is a scrubby, resinous note underneath, the maquis that covers the Sardinian hillsides.
Where it comes from
Sardinia sits closer to Tunisia than to Rome, and its wine has more in common with the western Mediterranean than with mainland Italy. Cannonau arrived here centuries ago and became the island's own, planted across the south where the heat is tempered by sea air.
Good to know
Cannonau is the same grape the French call Grenache and the Spanish call Garnacha, but Sardinia's version tends to be darker, firmer and more herbal than either, a difference of old vines and island soil rather than of grape.
Contains alcohol.
