Cagliari

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The metamorphic granitic core of the Sardinian–Corsican plate dates to the Palaeozoic and outcrops today across much of the island as rounded hills, plateaux, and valleys.
• During the Mesozoic, the sea deposited carbonate–dolomitic strata that subsequently emerged and eroded to form the rugged landscapes visible on the summits of the highlands of central-eastern Sardinia and in the Sulcis.
• During the Plio-Pleistocene, the last basaltic lava flows of Sardinian volcanism were formed, giving rise to the volcanic–sedimentary complexes of Arburese, Marmilla, Trexenta, Parteolla, and Sulcis.
• The soils of the zone include Entisols, Inceptisols, Andosols under forest on volcanic substrates, Vertisols, Alfisols with clay and carbonate accumulations, and even Ultisols on the oldest Quaternary deposits.
• The subtropical climate of the southern belt, which includes Cagliari and its Campidano plain, sees annual rainfall below 700 mm and a mean annual temperature above 17 °C.

• Malvasia is thought to have been brought to Sardinia from Greece during the Byzantine domination, an introduction that may date to the fifth century, following the fall of the Roman Empire.
• The Marchese di Rivarolo in 1736 made vine cultivation compulsory in certain localities, promoting the spread of the Monica variety, even under threat of land confiscation.
• The Vermentino variety is thought to have arrived in Sardinia via Gallura, through Corsica, during the period of Pisan and Genoese domination, which was established from the thirteenth century onward.
• In 1329, an export duty was established in Sardinia on every barrel of fine-quality wine exported — one denaro for red wine and two denari for white.

• Cagliari Malvasia displays a straw-yellow colour tending toward golden, an intense and delicate nose, and a palate ranging from dry to sweet, soft and characteristic.
• Cagliari Malvasia spumante shows a fine and persistent mousse, a more or less intense straw-yellow colour, a characteristic and delicate nose, and a palate ranging from brut to sweet, with fruity character.
• Cagliari Monica has a pale ruby-red colour tending toward orange with age, an intense and delicate ethereal nose, and a palate ranging from dry to sweet, pleasant and characteristic.
• Cagliari Moscato has a golden-yellow colour, an intense nose, and a sweet, characteristic palate; it is generally enjoyed as a dessert wine at the end of a meal, after the sweet course or fruit.
• Cagliari Vermentino has a more or less intense straw-yellow colour with light greenish highlights, a delicate and pleasant nose, and a palate ranging from dry to sweet, fresh and savoury, with a lightly bitter finish.

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-A1313
• Official trade body site — Laore Sardegna