Cantina Sannas, or the ‘ogre’ of Mamoiada

Piergraziano Sanna, who arrived in Mamoiada after various entrepreneurial experiences, bought some vineyards - even very old ones - in the Berei area and devoted himself maniacally to the vineyard and "naturally" to the winery. The result: extraordinary wines with great personality.

In that veritable hotbed of small winemaking realities represented by Mamoiada, a prominent place is certainly occupied by Piergraziano Sanna. Although he is "istranzu" (he is originally from Austis), he has fitted perfectly into the mood of the small Barbagia town where he arrived a decade ago.

The tiny winery is located in a steep alley in the center of town, and to call it spartan is to sin in generosity. The wines of Cantina Sannas undoubtedly represent a unicum in the Mamoiadino panorama to which is added the volcanic personality of Piergraziano, who in just a few years (his first wines are from the 2016 vintage) has carved out a prominent space for himself. Only eight thousand bottles produced so far are in high demand by a passionate clientele that loves these wines with an unmistakable character and only seemingly rough stylistics.

Spontaneous and long fermentations, no temperature control, no filtration, little use of sulfur dioxide might make one think of unstable, defective and precarious wines, instead, none of that. Piergraziano makes Cannonau of great elegance and purity, and his Granazza (a white grape variety typical of Mamoiada and also present in the neighboring towns of Orgosolo and Oliena) is certainly among those with the most decisive personality. Confirming this came the "anthological" tasting of all the wines produced by Cantina Sannas that was held at the Antica Dimora del Gruccione in Santu Lussurgiu thanks to the collaboration of Marco Delugas. The labels produced, also unmistakable, are diverse and related to the Mamoiadina tradition:

Bobotti: is the evil ogre who roams the village at night to take wayward children.

Maria Abbranca: Is the witch who from the bottom of the well grabs children who get too close.

Maria Pettena: Is the witch who kidnaps children who do not take afternoon naps.

(When traditions were not politically correct and no one had a problem with scaring children, children who did not have to go to a psychologist once they came of age...).

To read the wine sheets with descriptions, scores and prices, click on the names.

• Cantina Sannas, Bianco Maria Abbranca 2016
• Cantina Sannas, Bianco Maria Abbranca 2017
• Cantina Sannas, Bianco Maria Abbranca 2018
• Cantina Sannas, Bianco Maria Abbranca 2019
• Cantina Sannas, Rosato Maria Pettena 2018
• Cantina Sannas, Rosato Maria Pettena 2019
• Cantina Sannas, Rosato Maria Pettena 2020
• Cantina Sannas, Cannonau di Sardegna Bobotti 2017
• Cantina Sannas, Cannonau di Sardegna Bobotti 2019
• Cantina Sannas, Cannonau di Sardegna Bobotti 2020
• Cantina Sannas, Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva Bobotti+ 2017
• Cantina Sannas, Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva Bobotti+ 2019
• Cantina Sannas, Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva Bobotti++ 2017

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