Why Sardinian wine is one to watch

The larger islands of the Mediterranean all have their glories. Fought over for millennia, they now seem to have attained stability as part of the post-1945 political order, but the records of the long epochs of conflict are among the most fascinating aspects of European history. The successive waves of conquest have left material to delight archaeologists and aesthetes.

Although western Sicily stands above them all, the intricacies of Sardinia’s history and culture can enthral the scholar, and the visitor. Prehistoric inhabitants left interesting traces as did Phoenicians, who were succeeded by Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals and Byzantium. Then, for more than four centuries, Sardinia was part of the Kingdom of Aragon. At various stages, it did not seem impossible that Aragon might also absorb Languedoc and reshape European geopolitics. Instead, Aragon joined with Castille.

As Spain declined, Sardinia was detached and ended up under the House of Savoy, as part of the Peace of Utrecht at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession.