Two islands linked by wine. We are talking about one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, Sardinia, as well as one of the smallest ever, Ventotene, off the coast on the border between Lazio and Campania. Here we know Il Vino del Confine, it is the Pandataria, the white wine produced by Candidaterra, the only winery of this patch of land in the Tyrrhenian Sea. On the island that hosted the exile of several illustrious characters, starting with Giulia, the daughter of Emperor Augustus, we tell a story of a return to the earth, in a context of progressive depopulation, in winter there are less than 500 inhabitants.
The credit goes to the Sportiello brothers who, with the fundamental contribution of oenologist Vincenzo Mercurio, have recovered the local viticultural tradition, planting new vineyards of Fiano, Greco and Falanghina that grow on the volcanic and very friable soils of the island. Of the two wines produced, we offer Pandataria 2021 (from the Greek 'dispenser of all things good'), a tribute to the ancient name of the island. Beyond the scents of wild herbs, the wine fascinates with its undulating and relaxed gustatory rhythm, driven by a very multifaceted minerality.
Equally worthy of attention is the story of three friends who started a new reality, in the province of Cagliari, in Serdiana. Here we discovered an elegant and chiselled white: Malvasia Macerato 2021 from Tenute Faragò. This is another very young winery, starring Paolo Faragò, a professional footballer – now playing for Como in Series B – who played for Cagliari for four years, ending up falling in love with these lands.
Rare Wines. Two white wines from Sardinia and Ventotene island
Pandataria 2021
Malvasia Macerato 2021
selected by Gambero Rosso