Argiolas Costera Cannonau de Sardegna 2012

Blue zones are demographic and/or geographic areas of the world where people live measurably longer lives.  The island of Sardinia, in the Mediterranean Sea, off the west coast of Italy, is a blue zone noted for having the highest proportion of men living past the age of 100.  There are many factors that lead to this longevity including lifestyle, diet and genetics.  One factor that has been cited is the drinking of red wine.  The inhabitants of Sardinia drink wine made from the Cannonau grape which is said to have the highest levels of polyphenols of any wine.  Polyphenols are full of antioxidants which are good for your arteries.  In 2013, this wine and its health benefit was brought to the attention of the American public by the Dr. Oz show.  I suspect that the Mediterranean diet, exercise and a low stress lifestyle far outweigh the wine, but I want to believe that wine drinking is good for my health, so this is good news!

The Cannonau grape from Sardinia is the same grape that is called Grenacha in Spain or Granache in France.  Cannonau wine was brought to my attention by a friend of ours from Nashville so I searched Total Wines and More, armed with a 15% off coupon, and found the Argiolas Costera Cannonau de Sardegna.  The regular price was $15.99, but with my coupon I bought it for $13.59.  The Argiolas Costera is primarily Cannonau with 2 other grapes blended in.   It is aged in oak casks for 8 to 10 months with some additional bottle aging.  The alcohol content is 14%.

The wine is a dark ruby red to violet color.  The dark cherry, blackberry taste is intense and it reminded me of a recent bottle of Petit Sirah that we enjoyed.  There was a slight bitterness on the long finish but it did not detract from our enjoyment.  All in all, this was a pleasant surprise.  And, who knows, maybe it is good for your health.  I would buy it again.

SC Wine Joe rating = 89 points