What kind of wine producer is Cantina Santadi?

It is a Sardinian cooperative, founded in 1960 by 27 growers in the Sulcis, on the south-west coast of Sardinia. The cellar bottles wines from its members' grapes, with Carignano del Sulcis at the centre.

Why is Cantina Santadi famous?

Its name rests on Carignano del Sulcis, above all the Terre Brune Carignano del Sulcis Superiore DOC developed with the consulting winemaker Giacomo Tachis. The vines grow in sand near the sea, so many survived the phylloxera pest and still stand on their own ungrafted roots. They give dark, concentrated reds with silky tannins.

Where is Cantina Santadi located?

The winery is in the village of Santadi, in the Sud Sardegna province, on the island's south-west coast. The address is Via Giacomo Tachis 14, 09010 Santadi (SU). That is about an hour south-west of Cagliari, within sight of the Porto Pino dunes.

Can you visit Cantina Santadi?

Yes. The cellar receives visitors Monday to Saturday between 10:30 and 16:00, by appointment. Book ahead through visite@cantinadisantadi.it or by calling +39 0781 950127. The visit covers the production area and the barrel cellar, then a seated tasting with local Sardinian products.

What grapes does Cantina Santadi work with?

Carignano is the flagship grape, bottled as Grotta Rossa, Rocca Rubia Riserva and Terre Brune Superiore. The cellar also makes Vermentino di Sardegna as Villa Solais and Cala Silente. Cannonau di Sardegna appears as Pani Loriga and Noras, Monica di Sardegna as Antigua, and Nuragus di Cagliari as Pedraia.

What food pairs well with Cantina Santadi's wines?

The Carignano reds, above all Rocca Rubia Riserva and Terre Brune Superiore, suit Sardinian roast suckling pig (porceddu), aged pecorino sardo and slow-cooked lamb. Villa Solais Vermentino di Sardegna pairs with bottarga di muggine on spaghetti, sea bass and grilled octopus. Cannonau di Sardegna handles malloreddus alla campidanese and game.

Cantina Santadi

Cantina Santadi is a cooperative winery on the south-west coast of Sardinia, founded in 1960 by 27 Sulcis growers. It is best known for Carignano del Sulcis, a dark red from sandy vineyards near the sea, many still on their original ungrafted roots. Its Terre Brune bottling put the Sulcis on the international stage. Vermentino di Sardegna, Cannonau di Sardegna and Monica di Sardegna complete a range grown within sight of the Porto Pino dunes.

Sardinia
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Cantina Santadi vineyards on the south-west coast of Sardinia, with the sea in the distance

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About Cantina Santadi

The cooperative was born on 24 October 1960, when 27 growers signed the founding act in Cagliari before the notary Francesco Vacca. The driving force was Antioco 'Peppino' Sais, the first elected mayor of Santadi after the war. His idea was simple: make and sell wine together, instead of selling grapes in bulk.

The modern cellar took shape from the late 1970s under its long-serving president, Antonello Pilloni. He moved Santadi from bulk wine to bottles now sold in more than forty countries. In the early 1980s the consulting winemaker Giacomo Tachis joined. He was already known for the Tuscan reds Sassicaia and Tignanello, and he helped sharpen the house style around Sulcis Carignano. The cellar's address, Via Giacomo Tachis 14, now carries his name.

The Sulcis is the south-west tip of Sardinia, between the Porto Pino dunes and the iron-rich hills of old mining country. Sand, sea wind and bright light shape the wines. The sand also explains the vineyards' rarest feature. Many Carignano vines still stand on their original ungrafted roots, having escaped phylloxera, the pest that wiped out most of Europe's vines. Grown as low alberello bushes, often a century old, they give concentrated grapes. Tachis praised their silky tannins and mineral character.

The range covers a wide Sardinian palette. The Origini line keeps the cellar work light. It holds Grotta Rossa Carignano del Sulcis, Villa Solais Vermentino di Sardegna and Pani Loriga Cannonau di Sardegna. Antigua Monica di Sardegna and Pedraia Nuragus di Cagliari complete the line. The Radici line, with Rocca Rubia Carignano del Sulcis Riserva and Cala Silente Vermentino, leans on stricter selection and longer ageing. Above them sits Terre Brune, the Carignano del Sulcis Superiore DOC that put this corner of Sardinia on the critics' map. It remains one of the most-cited Sardinian reds in the wine press.

Two Santadi labels are currently listed on italianwines.co.uk: Villa Solais Vermentino di Sardegna and Rocca Rubia Carignano del Sulcis Riserva. They are the cooperative's two most widely distributed wines in the UK.

Editorial · ItalianWines.co.uk

Plate I · SARDINIA

Cantina Santadi on the Sardinia wine atlas

Via Su Pranu, 12, 09010 Santadi, Cagliari (Sardegna)

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Visit & Experiences

Experiences at Cantina Santadi

Nothing here can be booked online yet. The experiences below are documented by our editors. The estate's contact details are in Practical info.

At a glance, editorially verified

Tastings Not bookable here

Tours Not bookable here

Accommodation Not available

Booking Walk-ins welcome

Tasting & Tour

Cellar tour and Sulcis tasting

A guided walk through the Santadi production area and the barrel cellar, followed by a seated tasting of Cantina Santadi wines paired with local Sardinian products. Visits are arranged in advance with the cellar at [email protected]. Visiting hours are Monday to Saturday, 10:30 to 16:00.

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cantinadisantadi.it/

Via Su Pranu, 12, 09010 Santadi, Cagliari (Sardegna)

+39 0781950127

[email protected]

What Cantina Santadi makes

Cantina Santadi's current bottle selection is easiest to understand through Carignano and Vermentino.

Key grapes

Vermentino (vair-men-TEE-no) is an aromatic white grape variety.

Region Sardinia

Acidity

Body

Explore Vermentino

Grenache is a thin-skinned red grape grown across the Mediterranean.

Region Sardinia

Tannin

Body

Explore Cannonau

Chardonnay is a white grape with a clear Italian role.

Region Sardinia

Acidity

Body

Explore Chardonnay

Common questions

It is a Sardinian cooperative, founded in 1960 by 27 growers in the Sulcis, on the south-west coast of Sardinia. The cellar bottles wines from its members' grapes, with Carignano del Sulcis at the centre.
Its name rests on Carignano del Sulcis, above all the Terre Brune Carignano del Sulcis Superiore DOC developed with the consulting winemaker Giacomo Tachis. The vines grow in sand near the sea, so many survived the phylloxera pest and still stand on their own ungrafted roots. They give dark, concentrated reds with silky tannins.
The winery is in the village of Santadi, in the Sud Sardegna province, on the island's south-west coast. The address is Via Giacomo Tachis 14, 09010 Santadi (SU). That is about an hour south-west of Cagliari, within sight of the Porto Pino dunes.
Yes. The cellar receives visitors Monday to Saturday between 10:30 and 16:00, by appointment. Book ahead through [email protected] or by calling +39 0781 950127. The visit covers the production area and the barrel cellar, then a seated tasting with local Sardinian products.
Carignano is the flagship grape, bottled as Grotta Rossa, Rocca Rubia Riserva and Terre Brune Superiore. The cellar also makes Vermentino di Sardegna as Villa Solais and Cala Silente. Cannonau di Sardegna appears as Pani Loriga and Noras, Monica di Sardegna as Antigua, and Nuragus di Cagliari as Pedraia.
The Carignano reds, above all Rocca Rubia Riserva and Terre Brune Superiore, suit Sardinian roast suckling pig (porceddu), aged pecorino sardo and slow-cooked lamb. Villa Solais Vermentino di Sardegna pairs with bottarga di muggine on spaghetti, sea bass and grilled octopus. Cannonau di Sardegna handles malloreddus alla campidanese and game.

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