Campari and Corks

14 hours in Sardinia is simply not long enough! We were collected from the airport by Flavi0 and Lucien, one owner and one winemaker respectively. By 10pm we were seated on a restaurant terrace with a glass of Campari in hand (I have recently re-discovered the delights of Campari after reading “How to drink” by Victoria Moore. I literally went out to buy a bottle the same day as reading her thoughts on the rather retro drink!). We had it simply shaken with loads of ice, delicious!

Two Sardinian delights. Bottarga 'Sardinian caviar'. Best served thinly sliced, drizzled with olive oil. Mirto is a liqueur made with wild myrtle berries, enjoy as a digestive.

Over a platter of seafood (tremendous Octopus) a debate raged about corks. Was our bottle showing at it’s best; Lucien adamantly thought not but it still took a good 10 minutes debate between us all before sending it back. If I did not have the benefit of the winemaker in front of me, I would have thought the wine was simply average. The second bottle illustrated why the call had been made – a more expressive, zingy wine and one that pleased Flavio and Lucien. The debate on closure is always in the air and this is a prime example of how corks can impact on a wine in a subtle way. At Adnams we support both cork and screw cap; both have their merits and drawbacks but perhaps that’s for a separate blog!