Alghero

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The territory can be described through three types of geological landscape: limestones, dolomites, and dolomitic limestones of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras.
• A second landscape type consists of alluvial deposits and cemented aeolian sandstones dating to the Pleistocene.
• A third landscape type is formed by acidic effusive rocks, such as rhyolites and ignimbrites, of the Cenozoic.
• The territory is predominantly flat, lying at an average elevation of 50 metres above sea level, with small hilly relief in the eastern part.
• The climate is warm-temperate, and proximity to the sea governs the macro- and microclimatic characteristics of the area throughout the year, with vineyards situated from a few hundred metres to up to 30 kilometres from the coast.
• The Maestrale wind, blowing from the north-west quadrant, often picks up salt spray from the nearby sea and carries it inland, depositing it over the areas where the vineyards are located.

• At the beginning of the twentieth century, Tenute Sella & Mosca initiated an important land-reclamation programme and a viticultural nursery operation with more than 1,600 accessions in its catalogue, sold in Sardinia, across Italy, and abroad.
• In the mid-twentieth century, the Ente della Riforma Agraria della Sardegna promoted land-reclamation works north of Alghero, leading in 1950 to the establishment of a cooperative winery at Santa Maria la Palma.

• The appellation's white wines are described as fresh and fruity with a shelf life of under one year, or as more structured and full-bodied, as in the cases of Torbato, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon.
• The appellation's wines show good structural balance and are very savoury, with pronounced notes of salinity, especially in the white wines.
• The red wines encompass both wines intended for drinking within a year, characterised by vinosity and freshness, and more full-bodied reds produced from indigenous and international varieties.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0904
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Tutela Vini di Alghero DOC