Michael's Wine Diary

As a freelance scribe, one can never look forward to those fat Christmas bonuses that City traders expect, or rather did before the 2007 credit crunch. But there are  compensations – like travelling  to the magical island of Sardinia, as our little group was lucky enough to do in balmy early December to drink from 'a beaker  full of the warm south' (apologies to Keats). Good and fascinating as the wines turned out to be, my sweetest memory was dinner on the first night generously given by the growers at Cagliari's best restaurant.

 

 

 

 

S'Apposentu is more than that: it vies with some of the finest places across the Tyrrherian sea in Italy itself and has won an entirely merited Michelin star in the 2007 guide. S'Apposentu, which means a natural relaxing place, was opened at Cagliari's Teatro Lirico in 1999 by Chef-patron Roberto Petza. Now aged 39, Robert had worked previously in some of the the great kitchens of Italy and Europe. As his own boss, he has created a modern and refined cuisine, but one always respecting the true culinary traditions of his Sardinian homeland.

Having got up on the first morning of the trip at 4.15 to catch an earlyish flight from Luton to Cagliari, Philip Williamson and I fantasized on the plane about the “ideal lunch” of Champagne and Sardinian blue fish. Our wish wasn't granted until dinnertime at 8 o'clock in the Teatro Lirico, but it was worth the wait. We kicked off with an aperitif of Dolì frizzante igt 2007, a rather attractive, gently bubbling primeur, brimming with the vivid grapy flavours of native nuragus and vermentino; and being so fruity and refreshing, it reached the parts sharpish young Champagne cannot always reach, particularly when you're tired, parched and famished. The inner man was greatly assuaged by a savoury canapé  of artichoke and bacon.

To table, flanked by Andrew Catchpole, whose civilised wine columns in the Telegraph I still miss; it was no surprise to hear he cares as much about visiting his Sussex butcher and fishmonger as buying good wine. First, a fine selection of blue fish (raw and cooked): mackerel in various guises, especially when exquisitely dressed with cucumber foam, or as a simple carpaccio with olive oil; or again,  red prawns with smoked mashed potato, toasted seeds and lime. The Sálnico Nuragus di Cagliari 2006 served with these dishes is made from nuragus, an old Sardinian variety rescued by the Pala brothers. It has been named as one of Italy's 100 top wines in 2007 by Ian D'Agato, the new kid on the block and rising star of Italian wine writers. Crisp, yet full and spicy, with a lovely saline note, the Sálnico is tailor-made for blue fish and great value, too.

Next up, a stellar scorpion fish soup had such intensity of flavour matched only by a brilliant soupe de poisson I remember in Tournai last year: that time when  I gushed praise on la patronne, she came back with typical Belgian directness : “ Bien sur, Monsieur, ce n'est pas l'eau!”  My only quibble with the fish soup in Cagliari was the slightly false note struck by the accompanying Villa di Chiesa Valle di Porto Pino igt 2005, an international style white, a mix of vermentino and chardonnay masked by the powerful flavours of new oak – California in Sardinia, who needs it?

The Porto Pino blockbuster came as it happens from the highly respected Santadi cooperative, which more than made amends with their justly famous red, the Terre Brune Carignano del Sulcis 2003; this was served as partner to a main course of model braised ox cheek in a Cannonau wine sauce with potato flans. The concept of Terre Brune – great red Carignan wine at a reasonable price – was first realised in 1984 with the help of consultant Giacomo Tachis, Piero Antinori's brilliant oenologist and winemaker. The 2003 is a cracking wine, the vintage on sea-breezed Sardinia better than in Tuscany. My main impression was of a richly complex wine, with a particularly refined and silky mouthfeel: yet it had real life and vigour, flavours of Victoria plums and tobacco with a hint of juniper vying for attention. Ace 18/20. As a finale, there was just room to appreciate the perfect  chocolate millefeuille with cardamon cream,  balanced by a compote of lemon and pear distillate home-made ice cream. The Latinia Valli di Porto Pino 2004  hit exactly the right note: a burnished gold dessert wine (200 gms of sugar per litre) unctuous but with good acidity.

Heartfelt thanks to Fabio Angius of Pala and all his colleagues for making the evening and our following days in Sardinia such a treat.