Vermentino di Sardegna DOC and Vermentino Gallura DOCG-

We are heading south now to the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Sardinia.  Sardinia (Sardegna) is an island off the Tuscan coast.  Another grape starting with the letter V is Vermentino!

Vermentino is also known as Rolle in France, Favorita in Piedmont, and Pigato in Liguria.

It's not that uncommon to have different regional names of the same grape.

Vermentino is a white grape grown primarily in 3 Italian regions; Tuscany, Luguria & Sardinia.  These vineyards are all near the ocean.  The ocean breezes enhance the grapes to give them their distinct qualities.

There is Vermentino di Sardegna DOC and Vermentino Gallura DOCG on the island of Sardinia.  Production is good enough to export and can be found easily in the USA.  Most of the Vermentino produced in Italy comes from Sardinia.

Vermentino Gallura DOCG is probably the most renown of the all the regions that produce Vermentino.   It is the only DOCG in Sardinia.  Sardinia has a beautiful coastline with scores of beaches and quaint towns.  The Gallura area is the northern part of the island and encompasses many acres of Vermentino grape vineyards. 

Is Vermentino Gallura DOCG better than Vermentino Sardegna DOC? 

Depends on your individual tastes. 

Each has similarities and differences.  It's not good or bad comparatively, just different. 

I suggest you buy a bottle of each and compare them side by side.

What a fun way to learn & understand the differences from one area to another!  

I don't think it has to be a competition on which wine is better.

I find Vermentino to be a delicious and very refreshing wine!    

Great on a hot day to quench and refresh.  Not a whimpy white wine I assure you. 

Plenty of body (medium-body) to sip and savor or drink with a full meal.  There is great adaptivity to many food flavors.

Vermentino is a wonderful white wine and quite delicious.  It truely is one of my favorite white wines.  Love it!

The tropical fruits, citrus notes, bright acidity, herbal elements and the saline quality are right up my alley in a great wine.

This was an interesting wine to describe to my curious retail customers. 

For me, there was this olive oil thing going on.  It was an olive oil essence to it that wasn’t thick and oily, but if you could ferment olive oil, I think it would taste like Vermentino.

I have to be careful when I use olive oil as a descriptor because you might automatically think you are going to have this strong oily feel and taste.  That doesn’t exist. 

That is why I say it is more of an “essence”.

I recently saw a review of a Vermentino from Sardinia and the reviewer said “oily, rich” so I guess it’s okay to use oily as a descriptor. Just remember it will not be physically oily.

There are basically 2 styles to Vermentino.  They can be lighter, minerally, high acid, sharp and crisp. 

The other way is rounder, creamier, fuller bodied, with more depth & character. 

This last type is a result of the “lees” staying in the wine for a period of time. 

“Lees” are the remnants of the dead yeast.  It is a procedure used all over the wine world to impart some of the creaminess into white wines.

Oak is another variable used to create a more creamy, rounder style to Vermentino.

If you see “Superiore” on a label for Vermentino Gallura DOCG, it is a step up from the basic Vermentino Gallura DOCG.  There isn’t much info on what makes it “Superiore” but we do know it has more alcohol than the others.  The rest of the differences are generally a better quality wine. 

Cost of Vermentino from Sardinia varies from DOCG to DOC, but should be able to enjoy a bottle for under $20.

Bolgheri Vermentino DOC & Bolgheri Bianco DOC-

There are some tasty Vermentinos coming from the Tuscan coast as well.  

There are 18 different DOC’s in Italy where the majority of wine contains the Vermentino grape.  Fourteen of these are in Tuscan coastal areas. 

Bolgheri DOC is probably the most famous of these regions due to the powerful reds produced there. I will get into those red wines in the future.

Many of these DOC zones allow Vermentino and Trebbiano as the primary grapes for their blends and there is considerable leeway in the blend percentage. 

The good & bad about that fact is not every producer is going to make the same wine.  Different % of each grape in the blend does impact the flavor of the wine. 

The good news is there is great variety of flavors available for the consumer to discover! 

I will focus on Bolgheri now as I am more familiar with this area and there is good production & exporting of the wines to the states.

Bolgheri Vermentino DOC- Smooth and balanced, 90% of the grapes for this wine must be Vermentino.  I don’t recall any oak influence in any of these wines and there doesn’t seem to be literature to support the use of oak in these wines.

Bolgheri Bianco DOC-  As the name implies, (Bianco) there is more opportunity to have several varietals in the mix.  Besides Vermentino, there is our old friend I discussed previously, Trebbiano, as well as Sauvignon Blanc. 

Yes, you read write, Sauvignon Blanc.  Eventhough Sauvignon Blanc is not of Italian origin, it is still allowed in the mix because they complement each other nicely.

Italian Sauvignon Blanc is much more herbal (basil) than the New Zealand cousins.  There is minimal grapefruit in the citrus flavors.  Terrific blends with Vermentino & Sauvignon Blanc!

This is a very fun wine as it features the best attributes of each varietal in a lovely harmonious way. 

The downside for some is these wines is they tend to sell in the $30’- $40 range retail.

The Bolgheri whites are medium to full-bodied and tend to have layers of flavor throughout. 

The citrus isn’t overwhelming but brightens the herbal components.

The winds of the Tuscan coast keeps the grapes from mildew and rot, imparting a bit of the ocean saltiness on the grapes. 

This brings about the saline component to the wine no matter where the grapes are grown in Italy.

Just a quick note about Liguria region that borders Piedmont, Tuscany and the ocean.  The famous Cinque Terra is in Liguria and the city of Genova.

Vermentino (known as Pigato), grows here, and is perfect with basil pesto. 

Not much, if any, of the Ligurian wine gets to the USA, as most of what is exported is from Sardinia & Tuscany. 

It’s all good!

FOOD PAIRING:

I would say this is a medium-bodied wine.  This should pair fine with medium-flavored dishes and lighter flavored ones, like fish. 

Fish of all types; seafood, shellfish (shrimp in particular) included, would be the ideal food match for these wines. Basil pesto sauces on chicken or in pasta, delicious. 

A tasty wine to get things going say with appetizers.  Most cheeses, particularly goat cheese will work.  May not work so well with aged cheddars and blue cheeses as it could overpower the wine. 

It could work with a burger if red wine isn't a option.