Near the Southeastern tip of the Island, just 600 metres from the plunging coastline, Giuseppe and Barbara Pusceddu have cultivated since 2006 a biodiverse farm that includes just 3 hectares of grapevine, planted exclusively with indigenous varieties. In this way, Meigamma as a project is the maximal expression of Sardinia as a place – polyglot, resilient, and direct, and their wines are no different. We have two in this month’s box. This white is an aromatic banger, made almost entirely from the indigenous grape Nasco. It’s a skin contact wine, but a gentle, plush one. The name of the cellar, Meigamma, is the equivalent of a Spanish “siesta” – and we could not think of a better wine for that first sip after the nap, when you’re looking for an electric pulse to wake you up and get you into the evening groove. A wine not to sleep on

Ilaria Addis was brought to our attention by the wonderful Giulia. Ilaria is another new winemaker in the Sardinian viticultural landscape,  taking over her first two hectares from a larger family estate just two years ago, in 2021. Her small plot of land has been chemical and heavy metal free since a while before that – there’s a troupe of 80 sheep that double in for herbicides and cover crop removal. Though we aren’t ones to call a return to nature radical, her minimal intervention expressions of Vermentino are remarkable for their delicacy, shrubiness, and driven verticality, especially in comparison to the round, fruit-forward and coarse Vermentinos of the more classic Sardinian wine landscape. Technically belonging to the prestigious DOCG Vermentino di Gallura, at the island’s northern tip, it’s the exposure to cold winds from the mainland that bring salt and freshness into the equation here

Cantina Sannas is one of the most mysterious winemakers on the island. These esoteric wines, crafted by Piergraziano Sannas, sprung out of almost nothing for the first time in 2016. When we say nothing, we mean their origin story is atypical for the island. There is no family winemaking history to speak of in this case: just a man and a small plot of vineyard. Following customs in the vineyard and the cellar with an intuitive sense of how things should be, Cantina Sannas’ wines have always been bold, brooding, and impressive. They express the wild side of Sardinia while still being whole and self-contained. This one, The Bobotti Riserva, is an intense, mouth-puckering, luscious Cannonau, that undergoes multiple daily punch-downs and a long ageing barrel looking for a full mouthfeel to match its ripe fruit. Sardinian wine at its deepest.

Located in the hilly centre of Sardinia, Vike Vike is a new winery born from a long family history of making wine. Most families in the island’s “highlands” were agricultural by trade, and the tradition continues in the hands of their youngest members. The way of the land here is simple: wine is crafted first in the viticultural field work – once the grapes enter the cellar, the only thing left to do is to not ruin it. Simone Sidelesu, the winemaker in question, grew up with this understanding, and then tested it through study and several winemaking apprenticeships abroad. After returning home, he found that most of what he had learned as a child in the vineyards is true. Take, for example, this rosé from Cannonau grapes: it’s the fruit that shines through, rich, deep, and crisp. The rest is just artifice. Why ruin such a good thing?

Our Sardinian friends do not take family lightly. There is a hardiness (and a hearty-ness) to family life on the island: a tradition of living, eating, working, and cheersing together around a table that is paramount to the Sardo way of life. According to the winemakers, this wine is meant exactly for that. It’s a rough, rowdy, dark, and inky red, landing somewhere between rustic and refined, proud to be forged in Sardinia from two of its most iconic red grapes (Cannonau and Muristellu). This bottle is perfect for facilitating lively discussions, the kind you can only truly have with family, because, although they might tip into raucous disagreement, you know, at the end of the day, they’ll have your back and you’ll have theirs. Unbridled red wine in its truest form. Drink it with your nearest and dearest for full effect.

Near the Southeastern tip of the Island, just 600 metres from the plunging coastline, Giuseppe and Barbara Pusceddu have cultivated since 2006 a biodiverse farm that includes just 3 hectares of grapevine, planted exclusively with indigenous varieties. In this way, Meigamma as a project is the maximal expression of Sardinia as a place – polyglot, resilient, and direct, and their wines are no different. We have two in this month’s box. This red is made of the farm’s younger vines, local clones of Barbera, Bovale, and Cannonau (Garnacha) – a bright if grippy first-line red that is a versatile player as we move into the winter months. A wine for brightening the gloomy days, if need be, but also a wine that holds its own tableside with the pasta or risotto dishes typical of Sardinia’s rich, unique, and balanced cuisine.