Ten days up north · August 2026

Sardinia,
by the glass.

With Yanni & Denise

Two winery visits, forty-something photographs, and ten days of what Yanni insists was very serious work.

Vineyard in Mamoiada framed by an old stone wall and blue Sardinian sky — Mamoiada · Northern Sardinia

Yanni, Denise, Simone, Federica, family and friends gathered around the table — The day's real destination

Ten days in the north

We only made it through the north. There were clear coves, granite hills, long lunches, and more good wine than any responsible person could fit into ten days. We tried.

Simone and Federica made room for us at their table. Flaviano walked us through the wines at Surrau. Those are the two visits we wanted to share with you.

Clusters of dark Cannonau grapes under bright green leaves — Cannonau on the vine

Vike Vike and 'Esole, Mamoiada

Vike Vike means “look, look,” a local expression of surprise. Our visit with Simone Sedilesu began in the vineyard and ended at the family table with Federica.

Simone Sedilesu and Yanni overlooking the vineyard beside a small pink chapel — Simone and Yanni above the vineyard in Mamoiada

In Simone's vineyards

Simone walked us through the vineyards high in Mamoiada, where the vines grow in granite soil.

He started Vike Vike in 2015 after growing up among his family's vines. He farms 4.5 hectares organically and makes roughly 25,000 bottles a year.

Metal gate bearing the Cantina Vike Vike name and tree-topped stone tower mark — Terra, uva e mani

A color-coded vineyard map of the Mamoiada growing area — Mamoiada, parcel by parcel

Mamoiada, plot by plot

Simone put the map on the table as we tasted Granazza and Cannonau, showing us where each wine came from. He uses spontaneous fermentation and keeps intervention in the cellar to a minimum.

Simone and Yanni talking beside large wooden fermentation vats — A cellar conversation, glass in hand

Traditional dark Mamoiada masks hanging inside the working winery — Mamoiada keeps watch

A rough-hewn granite sink with wine press and cellar tools behind it — Old stone, working tools

Lunch with Simone and Federica

Simone and Federica welcomed us the way we try to welcome people at Yanni's. Friends stopped in, local food covered the table, and we stayed longer than planned, talking about wine and family.

Federica's winery, 'Esole, carries her own family name in the local dialect. Her family has grown grapes for generations, and she keeps intervention in the cellar to a minimum. We hope to bring some of her wines to Scripps Ranch.

The full group smiling around a wooden lunch table after the tasting — What began as a tasting ended around the family table

Local cured meats, aged cheese and crisp Sardinian bread on a wooden table — A table centered on Mamoiada

A chilled bottle of Esole Sa Panada white wine on the lunch table — Federica's 'Esole Sa Panada

Bollonca and a long lunch made this one of our favorite days of the trip.

The low modern stone-and-timber facade of Vigne Surrau beneath a clear blue sky — Vigne Surrau · Arzachena

Vigne Surrau, Arzachena

At Surrau, Flaviano took us through the underground cellar before a wine-pairing lunch overlooking the vines.

Inside Surrau's cellar

Surrau's vineyards stretch across seven areas around Arzachena, over sandy soils formed by weathered granite. The tasting room looks out toward the vines; the cellar is underneath it.

Surrau vineyards and granite hills seen through the tasting room windows — The view from the tasting room. Hard day at the office.

Two round glass wine vessels glowing gold in a dark installation — Vermentino, almost luminous

A precise row of stainless steel winery tanks lit from the open doorway — The working floor

Egg-shaped and terracotta wine vessels inside the underground facility — Different vessels, different paths

Flaviano guiding the tour among rows of bottles in the underground cellar — Flaviano, our guide through the cellar and every pairing

Four courses with Flaviano

Flaviano moved us from Caricagiola rosato through several expressions of Vermentino and into Cannonau, explaining why each glass belonged with the plate. Yanni asked questions. Denise actually let him finish most of them.

A tasting table set with rows of glasses overlooking the Surrau vineyard — The table before the first pour

Yanni smiling behind a full flight of empty tasting glasses — Ready for the assignment

Denise tasting wine at the Surrau lunch table — Denise, doing the actual research

Flaviano introducing the next wine during the four-course lunch — Guided by Flaviano

The first plated course in a bright tomato sauce with basil — Course one

Yanni raising a glass of Cannonau over a plated course paired with Sincaru — Cannonau, course by course

Yanni smiling behind bottles of Montidimola and Sciala Vermentino di Gallura — A serious mission, obviously

Bottles of Surrau Sole Ruju and Gjola on the tasting table — Two more reasons the tasting ran long

A taste of Gallura

Surrau's Vermentino di Gallura grows in granite-derived sand. It was one of the wines we wanted to share back in Scripps Ranch.

Ask us about the Sardinian wines next time you're at Yanni's. We will probably tell you the whole story. Consider yourself warned.

Visit Yanni's Bar & Grill

Long vineyard rows climbing toward granite hills in Gallura

There's more of Sardinia to see

We only saw the north, which gives us a perfectly reasonable excuse to go back. For now, thank you to Simone, Federica, and Flaviano for welcoming us.

Yanni & Denise