White wine - Nuragus of Cagliari DOC - Nelio

Il Nuragus is a variety of white wine grapes which gives rise to the homonymous Sardinian wine straw-yellow in color that develops around the city of Cagliari, whose DOC denomination dates back to November 1974.

This white grape variety has very ancient origins and has been linked to our island since the time of the Phoenicians.

Here are the most accredited hypotheses about history of the Nuragus vine, starting from the etymology of its name up to the historical testimonies.

Nuragus: origins of the vine

The first testimonials of the vine Nuragus seem to date back to nuragic civilization, which was initially based on agriculture and dominated the island of Sardinia from about the 18th century BC to the 2nd century AD

at the beginning ofage del Bronze, with the economic expansion of Sardinia due to the mineral discoveries, the Sardinian territory began to become a very popular destination for the great civilizations of the time.

Around 1000 BC the Sardinian people began to maintain intense commercial exchanges with the Phoenicians, who in 540 BC attempted to conquer the island.

Although the attack was repulsed, i Phoenicians they succeeded in dominating parts of coastal and southern Sardinia in 509 BC, but this was not the only attack to which the island had to submit.

In 238 BC Sardinia passed into the hands of Rome after the victory of the Romans over Carthage in the first Punic war and the nuragic reality assumed an increasingly marginal role.

However, it has left important evidence of its existence: the famous tower-shaped stone ruins, better known as Nuraghes, have become its symbol, so as to reach 7,000 units throughout the island.

Nuragus: etymology of the vine

Although it is estimated that in the apogee of the Nuragic age they were much higher in number, the certain fact is that they have left such an imprint of their presence in the Sardinian territory as to be able to influence theetymology of these ancients vines, which, according to some scholars, would also recall its shape with their bunches.

Despite this, according to ampelographers the importation of the first Nuragus vines would be attributable to the Phoenician sailors, even if it is not excluded that the various conquering peoples gave their significant contribution to the importation of this white grape variety.

Le origins of Nuragus are traced back in particular to the period of the foundation of Nora by the Phoenician people, as confirmed by the same prefix of Punic derivation “Nur”, which makes up the name of the vine and del Nuragus wine.

However, some scholars put forward a different interpretation stating that the name of the grape variety it would derive from some seeds that sprouted near the city of Nuragus, attributing the two synonyms in dialect "Abundant” (abundant, in reference to fruit production) and “Burdu” (wild) to the distinctive characteristics of Nuragus, namely its high productivity and resistance.