Cannonau and longevity

In vino veritas? Is there indeed the truth in wine? In Sardinia the truth rests in the longevity of cannonau, one of the most famous and glorious variety of red wine, cultivation of which is dated back to more than three thousand years ago.

Heady ruby red wines, delicate yet robust, whose alcohol content never drops below 12,5 % and which are ideal for consumtion between 2 and 6 years of age. These wines go perfectly with the distinct flavors of island cuisine – with game, roast meat, cheeses such as pecorino or goat cheese. Not just high-quality cannonau is part of the recipe for a healthy and long life in Sardinia.

The longevity of Sardinian people is genetic, but according to scientific studies it could also derive from a combination of enviromental and social factors, from lifestyle and from a diet based on healthy products offered by land and sea and elaborated following the recipes which were handed down from generation to generation. Cannonau enriches the local diet, it is a true elixir of life, that contains three times more antioxidants than other red wines and provides healthier effects on the cardiovascular system, up to almost ten times more than other varieties on the market.

Well awared of this wine was also a great connoisseur and poet Gabriele d´Annunzio who mentions it in the preface to Hans Barth guidebook “Osterie d´Italia”. He tasted this “nectar” as he called it in Oliena, and of its intense version Nepente wrote: “Do you not know Nepente from Oliena? Neither by its fame? (…)

I am sure, that if you had a drink of it, you would never want to leave the shadow of white cliffs. Those who want to experience Cannonau in its typical teritorries themselves, should not miss the Strada del Cannonau itinerary and visit the regions of Nuoro, Barbagia, Supramonte, Mandrolisai and Ogliastra, where is the cultivation of this variety is most widespread. Visit of these places and special sceneries is surely an experience you cannot miss, in order to enrich the holiday in Sardinia with new emotions, delight your taste buds and discover strong notes of local wines with almost black berries, small evocative treasures of a land rich in flavors and aroma.