Carignano

What Is Carignano?

Carignano is the Italian name for Carignan (Cariñena or Mazuelo in Spain), a red grape that in Italy is grown above all in southwest Sardinia. There it makes Carignano del Sulcis: dark, warm, Mediterranean reds with ripe black fruit, myrtle and spice, often from very old bush vines.

The grape comes from Spain and probably reached Sardinia during the centuries of Spanish rule (from the fourteenth to the early eighteenth century). In the Sulcis, many vineyards are planted on sand, where the phylloxera louse cannot survive, so some vines are ungrafted and very old. Since the 1980s, the local cooperative Cantina di Santadi, with the oenologist Giacomo Tachis, has made Carignano del Sulcis one of Sardinia's best-known reds.

Where Carignano Grows

• Sulcis (southwest Sardinia): the area around Santadi, Giba, Masainas and the islands of Sant'Antioco and San Pietro, with sandy coastal soils, a hot, windy, dry climate and many old alberello (bush) vines.
• Other parts of Sardinia: smaller plantings, often in blends.
• Tuscan coast and Lazio: a few producers grow it in the Maremma.

Carignano ripens late and keeps good acidity in the heat, which gives freshness to wines that are naturally full and warm.

Carignano and Italian Denominations

• Carignano del Sulcis DOC: the main denomination, with red, rosé, Riserva and Superiore (from bush vines with lower yields).
• Isola dei Nuraghi IGT: Sardinia's regional label, often used for Carignano and blends.
• Cannonau di Sardegna DOC and Monica di Sardegna DOC: where it can be a minor part of the blend.
• Costa Toscana IGT and Toscana IGT: Tuscan Carignano.

Flavor Profile and Tasting Notes

• Fruit: blackberry, black cherry, plum and dried fruit.
• Other notes: myrtle, Mediterranean scrub, liquorice, pepper and a slightly salty finish.
• Structure: medium to full body, ripe tannins, good acidity.

Young Carignano is fruity and juicy; Riserva and Superiore wines aged in oak are richer and spicier, and can age for ten years or more. Carignano del Sulcis rosato is fresh and savoury.

Food Pairing

• Sardinian roasts: porceddu (spit-roasted suckling pig), lamb and goat.
• Red meat: grilled steak, game and stews.
• Pasta: culurgiones and malloreddus with sausage ragù.
• Fish: the rosé and lighter reds with tuna from Carloforte.
• Cheese: aged Pecorino Sardo.

How to Choose and Where to Start

Start with a Carignano del Sulcis from Santadi (Grotta Rossa, Rocca Rubia) or Mesa, then try a Superiore such as Santadi's Terre Brune. Other producers worth knowing include Sardus Pater, Agripunica, Cantina Giba and Argiolas, and Ampeleia in Tuscany.

Carignano shares Sardinia with Cannonau, Bovale, Monica and Vermentino. Read our best Sardinia wines, the Sardinia wine tour, or browse the grape varieties index.