“Chateauneuf du Pape of the Poor”
Way back at the beginning of summer, I traveled to Sardinia. Far from the beaches and boutiques to the smack-dab center of the island, where it seems nothing has changed for centuries.
Here you see a polyculture mix sheepherding, cultivation of cork oaks, grain production and a bit of old vineyards that go into an intriguing local red blend called Mandrolisai.
Emanuela Flore of Bentu Luna in Sardinia
Among about 30 producers of the wine, is the young Sardinian enologist and winemaker at Bentu Luna, Emanuela Flore, who calls Mandrolisai “the Chateauneuf du Pape of the poor.”
Flore, who has the intensity and energy of a rocket, was recently elected president of the Mandrolisai appellation by her nearly-all-male peers.
That’s a good thing. If anyone can get Sardinia’s little-known reds in front of people – it’s her.
Bentu Luna is an interesting story making interesting wines. Read about it, Mandrolisai and Flore in the latest Robert Camuto Meets… at winespectator.com