Wine route
Strada del Cannonau
2 days, 135 km · 4 stops
Open the driveSardinia · DOC
Cannonau di Sardegna DOC Sardinia's Warm Red Wine, Explained
Cannonau is Sardinia's red grape, and this is its wine: warm, soft and full of red fruit. The DOC covers the whole island, from the Supramonte villages above Oliena to the terraces of Jerzu. Most bottles are Rosso, made to drink young. The Riserva waits two years, six months of them in wood.
34
Wines live now
£12-£56
Price range today
11
UK retailers
Decode the label
What the label tells you
One denomination, 6 things it can say on the front. Colour first, then the qualifier.
On the label
Cannonau di Sardegna Rosso
the everyday face of the island's red
From 1 April of the year after harvest
12.5% minimum alcohol
85% Cannonau the rest local black grapes
Ruby red, small red and black fruit with pepper and a wild-herb edge: the rulebook's own description of the base wine.
In stock from £11.90 See the 25 bottles ↓On the label
Cannonau di Sardegna Rosato
the rosé that may pour first
From 1 January of the year after harvest
12.5% minimum alcohol
Bright pink, rose and violet scented with cherry behind, dry and salty: the island's rosé for grilled fish and flatbread.
In stock from £13.99 See the 2 bottles ↓On the label
Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva
two years old before it may leave
24 months from 1 November of the harvest year, at least 6 in wooden casks
13% minimum alcohol
Ruby turning garnet, dried rose petal and plum jam, clove and a balsamic mint note; warm and soft with a gently bitter finish.
In stock from £15 See the 7 bottles ↓On the label
Cannonau di Sardegna Classico
Nuoro and Ogliastra grapes, a year in wood
24 months with at least 12 in wood
13.5% minimum alcohol
90% Cannonau and a 9 tonne yield cap
Rare on UK shelves: the tightest rules in the family, from the two provinces where the grape is most at home.
No bottles in stock right now
On the label
Cannonau di Sardegna Passito
dried grapes, sweet red
15% total alcohol, 13% actual
From 1 November of the year after harvest
Grapes dried on the vine or on racks, with at least 50 grams of sugar per litre left in the wine: a sweet red not seen on UK shelves.
No bottles in stock right now
On the label
Cannonau di Sardegna Liquoroso
fortified, dry or sweet
18% dry, 16% sweet actual alcohol
6 months in wood release from 1 November of the year after harvest
The old-fashioned fortified style, jam-scented and warming, which the rulebook still protects.
No bottles in stock right now
The boundary
Where it is
Everything on this page, the estates, the bottles, the sub-zones, sits inside this line.
Wine route
Strada del Vermentino di Gallura
2 days · 7 stops
Open the drive
Estate 1
Argiolas
Visit →Serdiana · Parteolla hills, south
Tastings available
Denomination
Grapes Used
Estate 2
Cantina Santadi
Visit →Santadi · Sulcis, south-west
Tastings available
Denomination
Grapes Used
Estate 3
Antichi Poderi di Jerzu
Visit →Jerzu · Ogliastra, east coast
Tastings available
Denomination
Grapes Used
Estate 4
Azienda Vinicola Contini Attilio
Visit →Cabras · Sinis peninsula, west
Book online
Denomination
Grapes Used
Estate 5
Capichera
Visit →Arzachena · Gallura, north-east
Tastings available
Denomination
Grapes Used
Cannonau di Sardegna DOC zone
Estates you can visit Wine routes in the zoneOutside the zone
The zone is the whole of Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean: every commune may grow the grape and bottle the wine. The heart is the east. The Supramonte limestone above Oliena and Orgosolo, the granite of Mamoiada and the terraces of Jerzu in the Ogliastra are its core. Here the grape fills over half the vineyard. Three sub-zones are written into the rules: Oliena, Jerzu and Capo Ferrato in the south-east corner. The Classico label is reserved for the provinces of Nuoro and Ogliastra. Nowhere on the island is more than 53 km from the sea, which is why the Maestrale wind, not summer heat, is the climate story the rulebook tells.
Inside the zone
24,090 km²
the whole island is the zone
3
sub-zones: Oliena, Jerzu, Capo Ferrato
1972
DOC since 21 July
2,120 ha
under vine for the DOC in 2021
62%
of Nuoro province's vineyard is Cannonau
11 t/ha
maximum yield, 9 for Classico
Click or tap a pin for its estate. The numbered pins match the estate cards below.
Towns worth knowing
Oliena
Orgosolo
Mamoiada
Dorgali
Jerzu
Cardedu
Muravera
Villasimius
Serdiana
Santadi
The rules cover every commune on the island; the fame sits in the east, from the Supramonte villages of Oliena, Orgosolo and Mamoiada down the Ogliastra coast to Jerzu.
In the glass
What it tastes like, by style
One profile at a time, never blended into a single set of bars.
Cherry
Black pepper
Strawberry
Leather
Rose petal
Cherry
Strawberry
The disciplinare
The rules that define it
The same table on every denomination page, one row group per style here, because Cannonau di Sardegna writes its rules per colour.
Grape & its role
Share of the blend
050100%
Rosso, Rosato, Riserva, Passito and Liquoroso
CannonauThe grape the wine is named afterat least 85%Other black grapes of SardiniaNon-aromatic local reds, optionalup to 15%
Classico Nuoro and Ogliastra onlyClassico may only be made from grapes grown in the provinces of Nuoro and Ogliastra, the eastern heartland of the grape. It also carries the family's strictest yield, ageing and alcohol rules.
CannonauThe grape, at a higher floorat least 90%Other black grapes of SardiniaNon-aromatic local reds, optionalup to 10%Solid means the rules demand it. Striped means optional, up to that amount. The words on the right say the same rule.
Cannonau at least 85% of the blend, rising to 90% for Classico; the rest can only be non-aromatic black grapes grown on the island.
Riserva waits two years from 1 November of the harvest year, six of them in wooden casks; Classico waits the same two years with twelve months in wood.
No Rosso before 1 April of the year after harvest; the Rosato may go out from 1 January.
11 tonnes per hectare is the cap for the base wines, cut to 9 for Classico, and the high tendone pergola is banned outright.
Cork only for the serious tiers sub-zone, Classico, Riserva and single-vineyard wines must be sealed with a flush cork; screwcaps are allowed on plain bottles up to 75 cl.
Ageing and alcohol minimums per tier are in the label guide above.
Editor's cellar
Bottles to try, and what Cannonau di Sardegna costs in the UK
Every live Cannonau di Sardegna listing, cheapest to dearest
34 wines · 11 retailers
By style, today
Rosso
from £11.90
Rosato
from £13.99
Riserva
from £15
Live prices, compared across 11 UK retailers.
Cellar doors · inside the zone
Estates you can visit
5 working estates with their gates open, numbered to match their pins on the map above.
Only show
No estates match these filters. Clear a filter to see more.
Experiences in the Cannonau di Sardegna zone
Cellar experiences here average around €42. These are the strongest fits for this page.
Tasting & tour
An Organic Heart, Wine Tour and Tasting at Vini Contini in Sardinia
Azienda Vinicola Contini Attilio
Join us on a Wine Tour as we take you to the places where our wines are born and matured, and finish with a Tasting of 2 organic wines.
1 h From €23 pp
Book via
Winedering
Tasting & tour
Sinis, the land of Tharros, wine tour and tasting at Vini Contini in Sardinia
Azienda Vinicola Contini Attilio
Immerse in Sinis, the land of Tharros with a unique wine tour and tasting of 4 wines paired with local products at Vini Contini in Sardinia.
1 h 30 From €29 pp
Book via
Winedering
Tasting & tour
The Giants of Mont'e Prama, wine tour and tasting at Vini Contini in Sardinia
Azienda Vinicola Contini Attilio
Discover the Giants, wines dedicated to the impressive sculptures of Mont'e Prama, with our unique tour and tasting with local products.
1 h 30 From €34 pp
Book via
Winedering
Three names the label may add
The sub-zones
Three places have earned their own line on the label: Oliena under the Supramonte, Jerzu on the Ogliastra coast and Capo Ferrato in the south-east corner. A wine that carries one of them must be grown, aged and bottled inside it.
Oliena (Nepente di Oliena)
Nepente countryThe whole of Oliena and part of Orgosolo under the Supramonte limestone; the Nepente name is the one D'Annunzio wrote an ode to.
Jerzu
Ogliastra terracesJerzu and Cardedu in the Ogliastra, where terraced vines climb from the coast; the wine must be aged and bottled inside the zone.
Capo Ferrato
South-east coastFive communes in the island's south-east corner, Castiadas, Muravera, San Vito, Villaputzu and Villasimius, on the coast below the Ogliastra.
Vintage provenance
Why there is no vintage chart
No denomination-wide vintage chart is published for Cannonau di Sardegna. The consortium does not rate years, and the guides that cover the island, such as Vinodabere's annual Sardinia guide, score individual wines instead. Quality here is tracked producer by producer, so buy on the name and the tier rather than the year.
Rosso and Rosato are made to drink within two or three years of the harvest. Give a Riserva or a Classico five years or more; the rulebook itself expects them to turn garnet with age.
What to check instead
The sub-zone: where a wine comes from inside the zone changes what is in the glass. See them above.
The producer: quality here is tracked estate by estate rather than year by year.
How Cannonau di Sardegna is made
The rules are simple and island-wide. At least 85% of the grapes must be Cannonau. The rest can only be other non-aromatic black grapes grown in Sardinia. Vines may not be trained on the high tendone pergola, and yields are capped at 11 tonnes per hectare. The Rosso may not leave the cellar before 1 April after the harvest, at 12.5% alcohol or more. The Rosato may go out from 1 January. A Riserva must age for two years from 1 November of the harvest year, with at least six months in wooden casks, and reach 13%. Classico is stricter still. It is reserved for grapes from the provinces of Nuoro and Ogliastra. It needs 90% Cannonau, a 9 tonne cap, two years of ageing with 12 months in wood, and 13.5% alcohol. The rules also allow two styles not seen on UK shelves: a sweet Passito from dried grapes and a fortified Liquoroso, dry or sweet.
In depth
Cannonau has been the island's wine for as long as anyone has written about it. A royal visitor, Martin Carrillo, praised its Cañonates in 1612, and a Franciscan friar did the same in 1677. The 19th-century botanist Moris rated the vine so highly that he named it Vitis praestans, the outstanding vine. When the priest Vittorio Angius counted the island's vineyards village by village in the 1800s, Cannonau was already the most planted grape. Gabriele D'Annunzio wrote an ode to the Nepente of Oliena. The DOC arrived on 21 July 1972 and its rules have been updated since, most recently in 2014.
The grape is the same as Grenache. DNA tests settled that in 2009. How it crossed the sea is still argued over. The usual story has the vine arriving with the Kingdom of Aragon, which conquered Sardinia in the 1300s. The grower Antonella Corda told Decanter in 2020 that Cannonau is picked earlier than many Grenache. For her, that is why it keeps more freshness and red berry fruit.
Today Cannonau is about a quarter of everything planted on the island, and 62% of the vineyard in Nuoro province. The east is the heartland. The Supramonte limestone villages of Oliena and Orgosolo, the granite hills of Mamoiada and the terraces of Jerzu on the Ogliastra coast are where the best-known names sit. Mamoiada's small growers, Giuseppe Sedilesu, Giovanni Montisci and Francesco Cadinu among them, now set the pace and the prices. Bigger houses such as Sella & Mosca and Argiolas, and the Santadi and Jerzu co-operatives, make the bottles most UK shops carry. A consortium looks after the name. Since June 2025 it has been based in Oristano, where it shares offices with the Vermentino consortium.
On the table
What to eat with Cannonau di Sardegna
Cannonau wants the island's own table: roast suckling pig, sheep's cheese with pane carasau, and malloreddus in a sausage sauce.
In-depth guide
Cannonau di Sardegna, answered
Yes. DNA tests published in 2009 showed that Cannonau and Spain's Garnacha are the same variety, so it is Grenache under a Sardinian name. How it crossed the sea is still argued over. The usual account credits the Aragonese rulers of the 1300s. The grower Antonella Corda told Decanter in 2020 that it is picked earlier than many Grenache. For her, that is what keeps the wines fresher and more red-fruited.
A Riserva has aged for at least two years, counted from 1 November of the harvest year, with six months or more in wooden casks. It must also reach 13% alcohol, half a degree more than the plain Rosso. Expect a darker, warmer wine with dried rose, plum jam and clove, and a gently bitter finish.
Classico is reserved for grapes grown in the provinces of Nuoro and Ogliastra, the grape's historic home in the east of the island. The rules are tighter: at least 90% Cannonau, a lower yield of 9 tonnes per hectare, two years of ageing with 12 months in wood, and 13.5% alcohol. It is rare in the UK. Most of what reaches our shelves is plain Rosso or Riserva.
They are the three places the label may name. Oliena, also sold as Nepente di Oliena, covers that village and part of Orgosolo under the Supramonte mountains. Jerzu takes in Jerzu and Cardedu on the Ogliastra coast. Capo Ferrato is five communes in the island's south-east corner. A wine that carries one of these names must also be aged and bottled inside that zone.
Ruby red, warm and soft. The rulebook itself lists small red and black fruit, cherry, myrtle, plum and blackberry, with black pepper and a note of wild herbs behind. Tannins are light and acidity is gentle, so the wine feels round rather than sharp. Alcohol runs high, which is where the warmth comes from. A Riserva turns towards garnet and adds dried rose, clove and a mint-like balsamic note.
From £11.90 to £56 a bottle: that is today's range across the 34 Cannonau di Sardegna wines in stock on this page. A co-operative Rosso costs about £13, and most bottles sit between £15 and £35. Santadi, Sella & Mosca and Argiolas hold the value end; the small Mamoiada growers cost the most.
Sardinian food first of all: roast suckling pig, sheep's cheese with crisp pane carasau, and malloreddus in a sausage and saffron sauce. The wine's soft tannin and warmth also suit lamb with rosemary, grilled sausages and hard cheeses in general. Serve the Rosso at 16 to 18°C and the Rosato cooler, around 10 to 12°C.
Explore more Sardinia
Same region only: the denominations Cannonau di Sardegna drinkers reach for next.
