FLOOR-TO-CEILING WINDOWS IN THE MODERN TASTING ROOM REVEAL ORDERLY ROWS OF GRAPEVINES STRETCHING AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE |
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thanks, in part, to the shepherding way of life. Sheep farming, it turns out, is very beneficial to one’ s health; walking miles every day and carrying heavy vessels of milk ensures ample exercise and muscle building. The people here, including the oldest residents, incorporate exercise into their daily routine, whether it’ s walking steep roads or climbing flights of stairs.
When it comes to diet and cooking methods, not much has changed in these hilly parts of the island in the past 100 years. For example, minestrone soup, typically made with local vegetables, beans, olive oil and pasta, has been a mealtime favorite for generations. That dietary mainstay paired with homemade sourdough, kneaded by hand and baked in wood-burning ovens, has been proven to keep inflammation in check and immune systems strong. And to wash it all down? Cannonau, a red wine of high polyphenol content that’ s been linked to heart health.
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VOLCANIC VINICULTURE
I head inland to Serdiana, a town laced with vineyards, to visit family-owned Audarya Winery. The area is arid and dotted with palm trees and stands of cactuses. Third-generation vintners Salvatore and Nicoletta Pala have built on their father Enrico’ s winemaking experience to produce wines using native grape varieties, thus making maximum use of the terroir. They include cannonau, bovale and vermentino. Mineral-rich volcanic soil and fresh sea air serve as the perfect incubator for these vines, planted by Enrico and his father in the 1940s.
I sit down and prepare to taste eight different wines produced here. Floor-toceiling windows in the modern tasting room reveal orderly rows of grapevines stretching as far as the eye can see. The inviting spread of olives, Pecorino cheese, charcuterie and hand-made crackers is accompanied by crisp whites and full-bodied reds that have been matured in oak barrels.
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Clockwise from left: Port of Alghero; Villagrande Strisaili, in Ogliastra; local goat’ s cheese in Santa Teresa di Gullura; vineyard in the Supramonte mountain range, Nuoro province |
images: awl images; getty; alamy |
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