In Sardinia wine is also made in marble. The story of the winery (and its young winemaker) located at a stone's throw from the quarries of Orosei

The vineyards that Marco Mossa tend to in Orosei are at a stone's throw from the quarries, “it is no coincidence,” he tells us, “that when working the vineyard, it’s normal to find hands and clothes covered in light-coloured dust”. Hence, the idea. Why not try ageing a small selection of his wine, a Cannonau di Sardegna, right in the Orosei marble?

Wine aged in marble

"I don't make use of barriques or wood barrels in the cellar, I don't want these to affect the aroma or taste of my wine, which have to encapsulate the sensations that my territory offers. Wanting to do something highly territorial, the thought went straight to marble, but it was not easy.

“With a friend who is involved in marble quarrying and processing,” the winemaker tells us, “we worked to have 750-litre vats made from slabs at least 5 centimetres thick, extracted in one piece, without any kind of lesions in the surface. The refined wine is from the 2021 harvest, which is now on the market, while the wine from the 2022 harvest is currently being refined. We monitor it continuously as it ages in marble, as it is a material rich in calcium carbonate, which tends to eat up acidity. In our case, however, after five months, the acidity analysis was perfect and we are satisfied with the results. This is our second label, we are only producing 1,000 bottles, but we are quite satisfied with the result. It is made from cannonau grapes with a small percentage of muristellu”.

Marmus: tasting

Marmus sits alongside Notante, the winery's other (and only) wine, which comes from the cannonau vineyards of Irgoli planted on granite breakdown soils. The Marmus, on the other hand, comes from clay-limestone vineyards in Orosei and the tasting certainly met our expectations. The particularity of the nose is clear. The newly opened wine is very reduced, and the aromas are earthy, dark, furry... who knows if the marble contributed to this.

Then slowly, with oxygen, it opens up and offers clear signs of black fruits and spices, whereas the other house wine plays more on lighter, more graceful red fruit sensations. The palate is dense, freshness is not lacking, but it is above all the savoury part that stands out and ensures a nice flavour and deep finish. Finally, the tannin is soft and well blended with the matter. In short, for a first trial, the start is looking good. Average price in a wine shop is 55 euro.

Cantine Mossa - Via XXV Aprile, 5 - 08020 Irgoli (NU) - [email protected]