Vernaccia is a white, dry, desserted wine, with distinctive features that characterize it as one of the most renowned in its category.
A WILD AUTOCHTHONOUS VINE
Vernacula was the term used by the Romans to describe the local indigenous vines that they found in Sardinia upon their arrival in the island.
Harvesting is carried out manually from the second half of September until the first decade of October.
Fermentation takes place in several phases and it is unique among all the various vices of the world.
Vernaccia is with good reason considered the gold of the Tirso Valley. A noble wine like very few others in Sardinia (Italy)
Vernaccia’s term
The word “Vernaccia” is used to indicate several vines and wines, located in different regions far away from each other; the word itself does not refer to any particular biological features. Vernacula was the term used by the Romans to describe the local indigenous vines that they found in Sardinia (Italy) at their arrival.
For these reasons Vernaccia has to be considered as an autochthonous wild grapevine already raised in the Proto-Sardinian age. “Vernaccia” term was present in an official document of 1327, “Breve di Villa di Chiesa”", before the Spanish changed its name in “Guarnacha”.
Vernaccia is a white, dry, desserted wine, with distinctive features that characterize it as one of the most renowned in its category. Thanks to the particular biological process behind its production and its organoleptic characteristics, Vernaccia is certainly unique in its kind.
Harvesting is carried out manually from the second half of September until the first decade of October.
After soft squeezing and natural fermentation, the wine is transferred into medium-capacity casks, chestnut or oak, filled to 75-80% of their volume.
Fermentation
Fermentation takes place in several phases and it is unique among all the various vices of the world. First phase is made by the alcoholic fermentation of the must, from which it is obtained an excellent white wine. From this point on, Vernaccia, aged in chestnut barrels, is subjected to a further transformation so-called "malolattica", the main cause of its unique characteristics. Within these barrels begins the subsequent fermentation. The "must flower” ages in raspberry in chestnut casks no completely full up. This allows yeasts to rise on the surface and create a thin veil, the "flor", responsible for Vernaccia refining. This kind of flower mantle will defend Vernaccia from oxidation, starting the phase in which the yeasts will consume oxygen, allowing the oxidation of some of the substances first created in new volatile molecules. The “flor” on top of the wine, thanks to its metabolism and the oxygen present in the empty space of the barrel, contributes to forming that typical aroma of Vernaccia, called "murruai" (presumably a Romans term, who used myrrh to perfume the wine). Beyond a certain thickness, the veil descends deeply at the bottom of the barrel contributing to clear the wine. The veil is fundamental to the final quality of Vernaccia wine: the more its training will be fast, the greater the quality of the product.
A DOC Wine
Vernaccia is with good reason considered the gold of the Tirso Valley. A noble wine like very few others in Sardinia (Italy), Vernaccia has to be recognized as a true wealth, part of an undisputed cultural heritage. Vernaccia was the first wine in Sardinia – Italy to be fully credited with the quality assurance label “DOC” (Denomination of Controlled Origin) title in 1971.
