Cantina Santadi — Attraction in Santadi

Cantina Santadi was one of the most memorable winery visits of our trip through Sardinia. We were welcomed by Leonardo Lai, their marketing manager, who made us feel like honored guests. He gave us a thorough tour of the winery, from the fermentation hall to the barrel room lined with both French barriques and large Slavonian oak casks, and even the bottling line. Along the way we learned about the estate’s history, including how Giacomo Tachis, the legendary winemaker behind Sassicaia, helped put Santadi on the international map in the 1980s. The winery is so proud of that connection they even renamed the road leading in after him.

Santadi is a cooperative of about 200 local growers, and it was inspiring to see how community and tradition come together here. Their focus is on red grapes, especially Carignano from century-old ungrafted vines that survived phylloxera thanks to the sandy soils. These are some of the most distinctive wines of the Sulcis region.

The tasting was generous and guided with warmth by Leonardo and Chiara. We started with a bright, saline Vermentino, then moved through several Carignanos that showed off the range of the grape, from fresh and lively to deep and powerful. The Terre Brune Carignano del Sulcis Superiore was the star: complex, elegant, and full of dark fruit, licorice, and earthy depth. We finished with Latinia, a dessert wine made from late-harvest Nasco grapes, with layers of honey, caramel, orange blossom, and spice. It was beautifully balanced and a perfect end to the lineup.

The wines were paired with generous platters of local pecorino, cured meats, and pane carasau, which made the experience feel complete. Afterward we browsed the shop and discovered the locals’ secret: everyday table wine available on tap, sold by the liter if you bring your own jug. It was fun to watch people filling their 5-liter containers.

Everything about Cantina Santadi felt authentic, welcoming, and rooted in Sardinia’s wine culture. The history, the hospitality, and above all the wines make this winery a must-visit in the Sulcis region. Highly...

Prestige Tasting A wonderful experience. Our guide/expert, Leonardo, showed us around the winery, explaining the history of this cooperative and gave a simplified account of the process (it is more complicated than I imagined). This was followed by a tasting which was accompanied with cheeses, cured hams and breads local to the region (this too was excellent and beautifully presented). The tastings were very generous (not a thimble measure like in the UK). Every wine had it’s own distinct character - all flavoursome, some with more body than others but all smooth, NO unpleasant after taste. We enjoyed all 4 wines we tasted. We bought Villa di Chiesa ‘20 (white) and Terre Brune ‘18 (red). Definitely recommend this tour/tasting and the shop. Staff were professional throughout - from the booking, during the tour and afterwards. Can’t recommend this winery enough. Thank...

Leonardo gave us a wonderful tour of the winery at Catina Santadi. We learnt a lot about how this cooperative makes over 2 million bottles of delicious wine every year with 650 hectares of farmland in Southern Sardinia.

Leonardo was an excellent and gracious guide, who speaks excellent English after living in London. He provided us with an insightful and interesting tour of the winery, learning about the vintages, grapes and science behind the success at Catina Santadi.

We then sat down to a sumptuous wine tasting, accompanied by delicious local meats, cheeses and breads.

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone in interested in the local wines of Sardinia.

Leonardo was incredibly kind and gave us a complimentary bottle of sparkling white wine for our fifth...