Nepente di Oliena Cannonau di Sardegna

They called it Nepente—a name drawn from The Odyssey, where Homer speaks of an elixir so enchanting it could erase grief, awaken the spirit, and make life seem, for a fleeting moment, eternal. It’s a fitting name for this wine, one that has whispered its magic across millennia.

Gabriele D’Annunzio, Italy’s legendary poet, arrived in Oliena in 1909 and fell under its spell. The rugged landscape. The scent of wild herbs in the air. The warmth of its people. But above all, the wine. "The town of perfect living," he declared, forever linking Nepente di Oliena with something more than just a place—it became an idea, an aspiration, a taste of something timeless.

This is not just any Cannonau. Nepente di Oliena is a protected subregion, a cru of Cannonau di Sardegna, where the wine is shaped by the ancient granite soils and the dry Mediterranean winds. The result? A full-bodied, deeply expressive wine, rich with blackberry, cherry, raspberry, and wild mirto berry, with a whisper of Mediterranean herbs and spice—a taste as bold as the island itself.

Ancient past, modern mystery. Nepente di Oliena is not only Sardinia’s most fabled wine, but also part of a greater legend: the Blue Zone. The people of Oliena, like many in Sardinia, live well past a hundred, and scientists have long wondered if the secret lies in their way of life—or in their wine. Cannonau, with its exceptionally high levels of antioxidants and polyphenols, is believed to be one of the most healthful wines in the world. A wine that not only lingers on the palate, but perhaps in the years of those who drink it.

This is wine as it was meant to be—handcrafted, time-tested, and unforgettable.

15,000 bottles made. Best enjoyed under the Sardinian sky, with nothing but time and the whisper of history in your glass