In my experience, I’ve discovered that touring a fantastic destination with just your eyes is a low value adventure. On the other hand, if you take a tour with all your senses, especially your tongue, then you get a WOW value experience.
So on my last vacation to the wonderful Italian island of Sardinia, I went on a wine tour. Simply put, if you ever find yourself in Sardinia, you need to plan your itinerary to make room to try out at least two or three of the following;
- Pascale di Cagliari
This exquisite Sardinian wine is grown in various parts of Italy but to enjoy a unique wine tasting tour at a Pascale di Cagliari winery, head on out to southwest Sardinia. The wine itself has a medium vigorous flavour and is made from Carignan grapes. If you can snag a few bottles while on your tour that will be great because this fantastic wine blends well with a lot of local Italian dishes.
- Moscato
According to Design Holidays who have fantastic fine wine and dining in Forte Village, “…a visit to Cagliari without trying out the neighbouring Moscato wineries is unacceptable…”
Moscato wine is generally a low alcohol wine with variants of it that are sparkling. What makes Moscato wine so distinct is its unique and titillating aroma. You can find different blends of Moscato in Cagliari such as light sparkling wines like Moscato d’Asti or dessert wines like Beaumes-de-Venise.
Whether you prefer red or white wine, there’s a Moscato bottle to suit your palate. Two Moscato variants I particularly savoured were
- Moscato d’Asti wine. It is very popular in Italy and it is light sparkling and semi-sweet, with a medium content. You can have as many bottles as you like with dessert or just watch the Mediterranean wash over the shores of Cagliari while you enjoy a bottle alone or with friends.
- Still Moscato wine. This is a white wine variation of Moscato and its aroma is simply delicious. Asides from grapes, a variety of other summer fruits like summer berries are blended with muscat grapes to create this well-balanced blend. It’s great on the dinner table and as I found out by accident, pairs well with various fresh sea foods, especially oysters.
- Malvasia
While this particular wine isn’t exclusive to Cagliari, it is still worth checking out. The Cagliari version is made from a white grape variety known as Campidano. The finished product is a rich soulful desert wine that’s born of a mixture of pressed dry grapes and the aromas of pears and spice. The wine has a crisp flavour to it and is deeply refreshing when sipped at the right temperature. Expect a fresh and citrus after taste that lingers pleasantly on the tongue.
- Barbera Sarda
This variety of wine is believed to have originated in Piemonte in north-west Italy. Barbera Sarda wine presently comes in different flavours with some having a richer and fuller taste while others have a distinct lightness to them. But the interesting aspect of the flavour is the hint of strawberry taste and sour cherry flavours.
Barbera Sarda can be drank alone but it does way better when paired with fresh Italian pasta, aged cheeses, salami and various styles of meat. The wine has a ruby red colour that’s full so try not to spill any on your shirt.
Whenever you choose to pay a visit to Sardinia, be sure to add wine tasting to your schedule, there are various wine tasting tours you can book for or you could just pick up a map and carve out your own path (it’s far more exciting).
