The secret of Cannonau

Autumn is harvest time, and these days in Sardinia, a wine is being harvested that could be described as the essence of the island: Cannonau. This rustic, full-bodied wine is perfect for enjoying with the rustic specialities for which Sardinia is famous: spicy pecorino cheese, air-dried wild boar salami, goat ham, olives... Not only is this delicious, but (when enjoyed in moderation) it is also good for you. Cannonau contributes to this, as it contains more antioxidants than any other wine (!), and these are known to protect against cardiovascular disease. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the longevity of the Sardinian people.

The best Cannonau thrives in the eastern half of the island, both in the coastal region between Orosei and Bari Sardo and in the mountainous hinterland around Nuoro, Ogliastra and Atzara down to Cagliari.

The best locations are found in three regions: Nepente di Oliena is grown in the area around the town of Oliena in the east of the province of Nuoro, Capo Ferrato comes from the area around the towns of Castiadas, Muravera, San Vito, Villaputzu and Villasimius in the south-east of the island, and Jerzu comes from the Jerzu and Cardedu area. Once harvested, the wine matures for 2-6 years; it has a deep ruby red colour and an alcohol content of at least 12.5%. It is the most widely produced wine on the island and is associated with Sardinia more than any other. Some Sardinians may have suspected that this connection between Sardinia and Cannonau goes beyond the purely quantitative. However, since 2004, it has been a scientific certainty, as this was the year that a group of researchers at the University of Milan uncovered the secret of Cannonau.

For a long time, it was assumed that the Cannonau grape, known and cultivated in Spain as Garnacha and in France as Grenache, was brought to the island by the Spanish in the 15th century. Now we know that the opposite is true – the Spanish took Cannonau with them! Grenache, which is now cultivated in wine-growing regions around the world, has its origins in Sardinia. What's more, the Sardinians were already cultivating their Cannonau in the Middle Bronze Age, meaning that this wine has a tradition dating back at least three thousand years on the island. We owe this discovery to an extraordinary find: during excavations at the Nuraghe settlement of La Osa in the province of Oristano, a prehistoric storeroom was discovered, filled with exceptionally well-preserved seeds, including Cannonau grape seeds, which were dated to between 1270 and 1150 BC using the radiocarbon method. Cannonau is therefore more than just a wine – it is a piece of living Sardinian history.

On that note, I bid you farewell for today with a ‘Cin cin!’ and a Sardinian ‘Adiosu’.

Yours, Joachim Waßmann