Sardinia: Vermentino and Cannonau

To understand what is in the glass, it pays to start from the map. Vermentino di Gallura has a precisely defined production zone that includes Arzachena, Olbia, San Teodoro and Palau: that is, the Costa Smeralda and the north-eastern coast where many golfers spend their holidays. Cannonau di Sardegna, by contrast, can be made anywhere on the island, and has three sub-zones, Oliena, Jerzu and Capo Ferrato; the last of these includes Villasimius, home to a golf course. The production rules for the two wines draw exact boundaries, and golf is played inside them.

Vermentino di Gallura DOCG: what the production rules say

The DOCG is reserved for wines made with at least 95% Vermentino; the remainder may come from other non-aromatic white grape varieties authorised in Sardinia. The rules were approved by decree in 1996 and amended by the decree of 7 March 2014.

Five types are provided for: Superiore, Frizzante, Spumante, Passito and Late Harvest. The wine described as "base" must reach 12% vol minimum at sale and the Superiore 13%. For the Passito, the grapes must reach at least 15% vol natural alcohol; the yield is 10 tonnes per hectare (9 for the Superiore), and new plantings may not have fewer than 3,250 vines per hectare.

The colour is described as straw yellow with slight greenish reflections, the aroma as intense, the taste as "from dry to off-dry, at times with a slightly bitterish aftertaste". Wines aged in wood, the rules add, may show notes of vanilla. Vermentino di Gallura, the Superiore and the Late Harvest may not be put on sale before 15 January following the harvest, the Passito not before 1 May.

The zone: granite, 500 metres and twenty-three municipalities

The rules state that suitable vineyards are only those with a suitable exposure, formed from decomposed granite and located at an altitude not exceeding 500 metres. The zone covers the entire territory of 23 municipalities, 22 of them in Gallura (the former province of Olbia-Tempio), among them Arzachena, Olbia, Palau, San Teodoro, Santa Teresa di Gallura and Tempio Pausania, plus Viddalba in the province of Sassari. Winemaking and bottling must take place within the zone, barring individual authorisations.

Cannonau di Sardegna DOC: one wine, the whole island

The Cannonau di Sardegna DOC, approved by presidential decree in 1972, requires at least 85% Cannonau. The types are Rosso and Rosato, Rosso Riserva, Passito, Liquoroso and "classico", the last permitted only for the provinces of Nuoro and Ogliastra and with at least 90% Cannonau.

For the "classico", the rules require at least two years of ageing, of which 12 months in wood, and a maximum yield of 9 tonnes per hectare (11 for Cannonau di Sardegna without further designation).

The colour of the Rosso is defined as ruby red, more or less intense, the taste as savoury. The Rosato may be put on sale as early as 1 January of the following year. Among the rules cited is also a ban on training vines on pergolas.

The three sub-zones are Oliena (or Nepente di Oliena), in the province of Nuoro, Jerzu, in Ogliastra, and Capo Ferrato, which reserves the grapes to five municipalities in the province of Cagliari: Castiadas, Muravera, San Vito, Villaputzu and Villasimius.

Where to play inside the wine zones

Four courses lie in municipalities of the Vermentino di Gallura zone or of Capo Ferrato:

• Costa Smeralda (Arzachena): the Pevero Golf Club, an 18-hole par 72 by Robert Trent Jones, opened in 1972; in 2026 the 18-hole green fee ranges from 120 to 180 euros depending on the season. Maximum handicap 54 and a dress code (no jeans or T-shirts).
• San Teodoro: the Golf Club Puntaldia, 9 holes by the sea, with the 6th hole perched above the rocks and a Leadbetter Golf Academy.
• Olbia: the Botanic Golf Sacuba, a 9-hole par 36 laid out in a botanical garden of mastic trees, cork oaks, olive trees and myrtle; for two rounds, that is 18 holes, the 2026 price list runs from 60 to 100 euros.
• Villasimius (Capo Ferrato sub-zone): the Tanka Golf Villasimius, an 18-hole par 70 above Capo Carbonara, open twelve months a year, with 2026 green fees from 60 to 100 euros.

Where to stay: three hotels in Gallura

In Arzachena, in Vermentino country, there are three benchmark hotels: Cala di Volpe, Pitrizza and Romazzino; on the eastern coast, in San Teodoro, Due Lune Puntaldia. The Due Lune is the only one of the four with a course inside the resort: the Golf Club Puntaldia. Its main restaurant, Blue Moon, serves Mediterranean cuisine that starts from the products of Sardinian tradition, redesigned in 2023 with large windows facing Tavolara. At the table, ask the sommelier which Vermentino di Gallura or Cannonau is on the list.

Curiosities

• A DOCG with a boundary in altitude. Vermentino di Gallura cannot come from vineyards above 500 metres.
• A course inside a sub-zone. The Tanka in Villasimius lies in the municipality of one of the three Cannonau sub-zones, Capo Ferrato.
• The Passito starts on the vine. For Vermentino di Gallura Passito, the drying of the grapes may take place on the vine or in suitable rooms, up to at least 15% vol natural alcohol.