Arzachena
Capichera
4.3 km off the line · About 2 hours
View winerySardinia · Wine route · 2 days
Strada del Vermentino di Gallura Two days through Sardinia's only DOCG, from Olbia's port to the giants' tombs above the Costa Smeralda by way of the wine road's seats at Monti, Berchidda and Tempio Pausania.
142
km end to end
2
days
7
stops, Olbia to Arzachena
1
denomination crossed
Why this drive: Sardinia has one DOCG and this is the road through it. Vermentino di Gallura earned the top rank in 1996, and it is a white wine grown on granite, in cork-oak country, in a wind that never quite stops. The road association that gives the route its name has its seat at Monti and its museum at Berchidda, so the drive strings the two 1956 cooperatives and the newer estates around Luogosanto and Arzachena into two days, from the Olbia ferry port to the tombs above the Costa Smeralda.
The route, drawn
2 days, drawn in two colours
Tap a day in the legend to bring its legs forward. The map follows as you scroll the stops, and a press on any marker jumps to it.
Layers
Day 1
Day 2
Numbered stops
Estates near the route
Stop 1 of 7 · Olbia
Day 1
Day 1 · Olbia to the Limbara through Logudoro
1
Stop 1 · The port and the airport
Olbia
ZTL city, see the driving notesThe port and airport town where the road begins, home to the Vermentino di Gallura Consorzio on Piazza Regina Margherita.
What to taste here
- Vermentino di GalluraDOCG Sardinia's only DOCG: at least 95 percent Vermentino, vines below 500 metres, 12 percent minimum, 13 for Superiore
- Piero Mancini Cucaione The Olbia estate's Superiore, made here since 1989
- Vermentino di SardegnaDOC The island-wide DOC, softer and cheaper, so you can taste what the granite adds
Collect the car at Olbia Costa Smeralda airport, 12 minutes from the centre, and leave it outside the Corso Umberto camera zone if you sleep in town. Piero Mancini's cellar on Via Madagascar has made Vermentino di Gallura here since 1989. Eight bookable winery tours in our data start from Olbia, so this is also the base for anyone without a car.
Where to eat
Fregola with prawns and courgettes
Ristorante Da Bartolo. Viale Aldo Moro 181; lunch Wednesday to Sunday 12.30 to 2.30, dinner every night from 7; book by phone or the site's form
2
Stop 2 · The road's own front door
Monti
The wine road's own headquarters on Via Sa Murighessa, and the 1956 cooperative that made Vermentino di Gallura famous.
What to taste here
- Vermentino di GalluraDOCG Funtanaliras, 14.50 euro at the 1956 cooperative of 350 growers
- Vigne del Portale Brut The same co-op's Vermentino sparkler at 9.50 euro, the cheapest lesson on the road
The Cantina del Vermentino on Via San Paolo gathers 350 growers and 600 hectares across Monti, Telti, Olbia and Loiri Porto San Paolo. Its barrel room is built in Aragonese style, and Funtanaliras is the bottle to ask for. The Tani family's agriturismo sits among its own vines outside the village and cooks by appointment only.
Where to eat
Porcetto and zuppa gallurese with the Tani family's own Vermentino
Agriturismo Il Vermentino. Loc. Conca sa Raighina, among the Tani vineyards outside the village; by appointment only, bookings taken 9 to 7
3
Stop 3 · The wine museum and the jazz town
Berchidda
Sardinia's wine museum and regional enoteca on Via Gian Giorgio Casu, in the town Time in Jazz fills every August.
What to taste here
- Vermentino di GalluraDOCG Giogantinu's Arveskida Superiore, from 250 growers on Via Milano
- The museum glass A guided glass of Sardinian wine comes with the 5 euro museum ticket
The Museo del Vino calls itself Italy's first multimedia wine museum: presses, granite vats and an educational vineyard, closed on Mondays, with a guided glass of Sardinian wine included in the 5 euro ticket. Cantina Giogantinu on Via Milano bottles for 250 growers and books its wine tour online. The 39th Time in Jazz runs 8 to 16 August 2026 and takes every bed.
Where to eat
Ravioli fritti berchiddesi, then the zuppa berchiddese
Hotel Ristorante Nuovo Limbara. Via Coghinas; some specialities must be ordered 24 hours ahead, so ring the day before
4
Stop 4 · Granite city under the Limbara
Tempio Pausania
The granite city at 566 metres under Monte Limbara, cork capital of the DOCG and the place to sleep on night one.
What to taste here
- Vermentino di GalluraDOCG Cantina Gallura's Canayli, from the 1956 cooperative on Via Val di Cossu
- Moscato di SardegnaDOC Moscato di Tempio, the town's own sweet sparkler, made by the same cellar
- Colli del LimbaraIGT Karana, the Nebbiolo the Limbara grows under the local IGT label
The SS 392 climbs from the SS 729 past the western shore of Lake Coghinas, 32 kilometres of bends. Cantina Gallura on Via Val di Cossu, founded 1956, sells from its shop Monday to Friday 8 to 12 and 2 to 6, Saturday mornings only, and makes Moscato di Tempio, the town's sparkling sweet wine, beside its Vermentino. The Rinaggiu springs in the upper town have drawn drinkers since Roman times.
Where to eat
Massa frissa, then the Piazza Gallura tasting menu
Ristorante Il Purgatorio. Via Garibaldi 9, in the old centre; three tasting menus named after the town's squares; book by phone on 079 914 0810
Day 2 · Cork country down to the Costa Smeralda
5
Stop 5 · Cork capital
Calangianus
The cork capital, with the Museo del Sughero in an eighteenth-century convent and Tenute Tondini's 30 hectares at San Leonardo.
What to taste here
- Vermentino di GalluraDOCG Tondini, 30 hectares at San Leonardo since 2004, visits booked for weekday hours
- Depperu Ruinas From Luras, three kilometres on: a Vermentino beside four Nebbiolo reds
The cork museum on Via San Francesco opens Monday to Saturday, 10 to 1 and 3 to 6, Sundays by booking. Tondini, founded 2004, takes visitors on weekdays 8 to 1 and 2 to 6 and Saturday mornings, always booked ahead. Luras is three kilometres on: Cantina Depperu at Sas Ruinas, four dolmens, and the S'Ozzastru olive tree, twelve metres round and reckoned over 3,000 years old.
6
Stop 6 · The holy town and Siddura
Luogosanto
The pilgrimage town of the Basilica of Nostra Signora di Luogosanto, and the hillside estate of Siddura.
What to taste here
- Vermentino di GalluraDOCG Siddura's Spera at 15.90 euro against Maia Superiore at 24.90, the modern face of the DOCG
- Siddura Beru The estate's top Superiore at 35.50 euro, for the second glass
Siddura, at the locality of the same name outside the village, runs its winery tour in Italian and English and asks for bookings three to five days ahead, a week for groups over eight. Spera at 15.90 euro and Maia Superiore at 24.90 are the two bottles to compare. Lunch is at the Balayana agriturismo above the town.
Where to eat
Zuppa gallurese and porcetto allo spiedo
La Quercia della Gallura. Localita Balayana, in the hills above Luogosanto; a farm restaurant with rooms, book on the site
7
Stop 7 · Giants' tombs and the coast estates
Arzachena
Where the DOCG meets the Costa Smeralda: Capichera beside the Coddu Vecchiu giants' tomb, Surrau on the Porto Cervo road.
What to taste here
- Vermentino di GalluraDOCG Capichera's Classic tasting: five glasses with five plates in two hours, booked online
- Surrau Il Vermentino in Gallura A two-hour tasting at 65 euro a head on the Porto Cervo road
- Cannonau di SardegnaDOC The island's red, the third glass on every Olbia winery tour in our data
Capichera's Classic tasting runs two hours, five glasses with five plates, booked online on the estate's own site; the giants' tomb at Coddu Vecchiu, a ten-metre corridor built over three ages, is the estate's symbol and sits by the road. Surrau at Chilvagghja prices its tastings from 45 to 80 euro and books at visit.vignesurrau.it. Olbia airport is 45 minutes back down the SS 125.
Where to taste
Capichera
About 2 hours
Booking required
Wines to Try
A few wines from the estates above.
Where to eat
Homemade primi and the Gallurese meat plates
Ristorante La Vecchia Costa. SP 59 Arzachena to Porto Cervo; open every day 12 to 3 and 7 to 2.30 in the morning; book by phone on 0789 98688
Before you go
The practicalities
Visit prices are set by the winery and availability should be checked before travelling. Bookings open on the estate page or the provider's site.
When to go
Early September is harvest
Vermentino is picked from the first days of September in Gallura, a normal year's timing, so the first two weeks of September show the road at work. May and June are the cool, green months, and the cooperative shops keep weekday hours all year: Cantina Gallura is closed Saturday afternoons and Sundays, and the Berchidda wine museum is closed on Mondays. Avoid Berchidda from 8 to 16 August, when Time in Jazz takes every bed, and the coast around Arzachena on any August weekend. Benvenuto Vermentino, the DOCG's own festival, runs in Olbia from 5 to 10 October 2026.
Booking reality
One estate books online in our data, the rest by phone
Capichera is the only estate on this page with bookable visits in our records: two tastings, both booked online on its own site. We read the other estates' own pages for this route. Surrau books online too, at 45 to 80 euro a head. Giogantinu takes wine tour bookings on its site. Siddura wants a call or a form three to five days ahead. Tondini needs a call for a weekday slot. Cantina Gallura's shop is walk-in on weekday hours. The Berchidda museum ticket includes a guided glass, with no booking at all.
Driving notes
Fast to Berchidda, slow over the Limbara
The SS 729 Sassari to Olbia became a full four-lane road on 22 January 2025 and replaced the old SS 199 di Monti, so Olbia to Berchidda is quick and dull. The character starts at Oschiri, where the SS 392 del Lago del Coghinas leaves the dual carriageway and runs 32 kilometres north past the lake's western shore to Tempio at 566 metres: allow the full 50 minutes. The SS 127 links Tempio and Calangianus in a quarter of an hour; the SP 10 and SS 133 to Luogosanto and the SP 14 down to Arzachena are narrow, granite-walled and slow behind a lorry. Fill up in Tempio or Calangianus; the lanes after them have no pumps until Arzachena. Olbia's Corso Umberto is camera-controlled, everywhere else parks on the street. Coast traffic around Arzachena is heavy on August weekends, and Berchidda is full for Time in Jazz from 8 to 16 August.
ZTL
Olbia's Corso Umberto is on camera day and night
Olbia restricts Corso Umberto I between viale Principe Umberto and piazza Regina Margherita, plus via Tempio, via delle Terme and via Catello Piro. Two gates never switch off: Corso Umberto at Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, and via delle Terme at via Acquedotto Romano. The other gates run from 5 in the afternoon to midnight. Park at Piazzale Genova, free and 500 metres out, or at Molo Brin on the waterfront, and walk in. The fine arrives by post months later. Tempio, Calangianus, Luogosanto and Arzachena have no camera zones on this route.
Getting a car
Collect at the airport, not in town
Olbia Costa Smeralda airport has its own junction on the SS 729, so collect there and you are on the route without touching the centre. The car is needed for the whole drive: no bus links the four seats of the wine road. Return it at the airport at the end; Arzachena to the terminal is 31 kilometres and about 45 minutes on the SS 125. Anyone without a car has eight bookable winery tours starting from Olbia in our data, most with pickup included.
Leave the driving out
Do this route with a guide
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Tours in this wine area
Nearby, not the route itself
Gallura Winery with Wine Tasting in Olbia
Just a few kilometers from Olbia, in the captivating Gallura region of northeastern Sardinia, awaits a charming mountain hideaway. Join our knowledgeable guide as they...
1 hour 30 minutes
From €57
Book via
Olbia: a picnic in the vineyards of Gallura
Enjoy a picnic surrounded by nature and vineyards, with friendly farm animals, local products, and fine wines just a short drive from Olbia in north-eastern Sardinia!
1 hour
From €43
Book via
Olbia: Wine Tour in Gallura + Tasting + Transport Included
Discover Sardinia’s wine soul with a guided tour from Costa Smeralda & Olbia. Visit a family-run winery, taste Cannonau & Vermentino, and enjoy a scenic round-trip min...
2 - 2.5 hours
From €114
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Before you ask
Strada del Vermentino di Gallura, answered
No. It is an association founded in 2009, with its headquarters at Monti and seats at the Berchidda wine museum, the Tempio Pausania Pro Loco and the town hall of Loiri Porto San Paolo. Fourteen towns and about thirty estates are members. Our drive joins the seats and the member towns into two days. The fast road that carries it, the SS 729, became a full four-lane road on 22 January 2025 and replaced the old SS 199 di Monti.
142 kilometres and just under three hours of driving. With the two museums and three tastings it is two days, sleeping in Tempio Pausania. For a single day, drive Olbia, Monti, Berchidda and Tempio, then come back to Olbia on the SS 392 and SS 729 in about 50 minutes.
At two places. Cantina Gallura's shop in Tempio is walk-in Monday to Friday, 8 to 12 and 2 to 6, and Saturday mornings. The Berchidda wine museum includes a guided glass in its 5 euro ticket and is closed on Mondays. Capichera, Surrau, Siddura, Tondini and Giogantinu all want a booking, Siddura three to five days ahead.
At Piazzale Genova, free and 500 metres from Corso Umberto, or at Molo Brin on the waterfront. Corso Umberto I and the streets off it are a camera zone: two gates run 24 hours and the rest from 5 in the afternoon to midnight. The other towns on the route have no cameras.
Harvest starts in the first days of September, so early September is the road at work. May and June are green and quiet. Avoid Berchidda from 8 to 16 August, when Time in Jazz fills the town, and the Arzachena coast on August weekends. Benvenuto Vermentino, the DOCG's festival, is in Olbia from 5 to 10 October 2026.
Vermentino di Gallura has been Sardinia's only DOCG since 1996. The wine must be at least 95 percent Vermentino grown in Gallura, on vineyards no higher than 500 metres. Plain Vermentino di Gallura is 12 percent alcohol minimum, Superiore 13. There are also sparkling, frizzante, late-harvest and passito versions.
Because it leaves the four-lane road at Oschiri for the SS 392 del Lago del Coghinas, 32 kilometres of bends past the lake's western shore and up the Limbara to Tempio at 566 metres. Monte Limbara's summit, Punta Balistreri, is 1,359 metres of granite above the town. Allow 50 minutes and enjoy it.
Arzachena is 31 kilometres from Olbia airport, about 45 minutes. Before leaving, the Coddu Vecchiu giants' tomb beside Capichera and the Nuraghe La Prisgiona next to it are the best Bronze Age sites in Gallura. Palau and the La Maddalena ferries are half an hour north on the SS 133, and the Costa Smeralda beaches start at Porto Cervo on the SP 59.
Take it with you
Save the one estate on this road as a trip
They land in a trip named after the route, in drive order. Reorder them, drop one, add a night, before you book anything.
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