Vernaccia di Oristano

Seeds of Vernaccia and Malvasia dating back to approximately three thousand years ago were found in the well that served as a 'refrigerator' in a nuraghe near Cabras.

The carbon 14 test carried out by the Biodiversity Conservation Center of the University of Cagliari confirms the dating and suggests that vine cultivation on the island has been known since the Bronze Age.

[1] Other theories postulate that the name could be derived from other Latin words such as verrum, meaning boar, based on the beasts that are common in central Italy and known to trespass into vineyard and eat the grapes on the vine.

One other contending theory is that the village of Vernazza in the Cinque Terre region of Liguria on the northwest coast of Italy could be a potential origin and eponym for some of the Vernaccia grapes.

[1] Also like some styles of Sherry, Vernaccia di Oristano is intentionally aged in oxidative conditions being stored in barrels that are only partially filled--leaving substantial ullage or head space for oxygen to come into contact with the wine.

[1] This can add some complexity to the wine and the presence of nutty, sherry-like aromas and a deep golden color, particularly for the sweeter dolce styles.

According to legend, the ancient Phoenicians introduced Vernaccia di Oristano to the island of Sardinia sometime after they founded the port of Tharros on the west coast of the island (ruins pictured) .
The province of Oristano where Vernaccia di Oristano may have originated. Also shown on the map is the location of the ruins of the Phoenician settlement of Tharros on the coast of the Gulf of Oristano.
While Grenache (pictured) is known under the synonym of Vernaccia nera in some parts of Italy, it doesn't appear to have any close genetic relationship with Vernaccia di Oristano.
Like Sherry and other sherry-style wines such as the French wine Vin jaune (pictured) , Vernaccia di Oristano is often stored in barrels that are only partially filled, leaving a large amount of head space where oxygen can come into contact with the wine. Similar to Fino Sherry and Vin Jaune, there is a formation of the layer of yeast known as Flor (pictured here) to protect the wine from oxygen.