As devotees of the ocean and seascapes, Eastern Sardinia is somewhere we had always wanted to visit. With southern Burgundy experiencing the wettest spring on record, we decided to head south to Sardinia for some warmer weather and a chance to find some sunshine in a bottle or two. We had heard about the Italian white wine Vermentino but never sampled it.
After a few days exploring Sardinia’s spectacular east coast national Park which extends north from Santa Maria Navarese, we took time to try the Vermentino with evening meals under the stars and were not disappointed. A favourite was the vermentino made by Contini Estates called Karmis.
Now we are back in Australia we are keen to try Australian variants of vermentino. To our knowledge no-one in Mudgee grows this grape variety but we understand there are some plantings in South Australia’s McLaren Vale region and in Victoria’s King Valley, with a few examples closer to home in the Hunter Valley.
Styles range from light and fresh to rich and textural. On the palate there are notes of lime, almond, green apple, white florals, a unique sense of sea spray, and refreshing acidity perfect for the Australian summer. A late ripening variety, we understand that Vermentino is normally harvested here in late March but because it does not need to mature in oak barrels, it can be made in late Spring the same year and enjoyed over our long summer months.
