The luxury tourist, passionate about wine and top denominations, chooses “local” on Costa Smeralda

Luxury tourists are used to traveling all over the world, they are passionate wine enthusiasts, experts on the top most international denominations, and are accustomed to ordering from high-sounding wine lists. When they come to Sardinia, instead, they love to discover and taste Italian and local wines, paired with characteristic local cuisine. Luxury tourists come to the Costa Smeralda, an iconic location in Sardinia, destination of the International jet set, and a territory that each year hosts more than 500.000 tourists from all over the planet, in he most prestigious hotels, restaurants and bars. WineNews, together with sommeliers and producers, has traced the identikit of the high-level spending gourmet traveler and their preferences on holiday, lovers of the excellent Sardinian and National food and wines, highlighting the 14th edition of the “Porto Cervo Wine & Food Festival” (May 8-11th), a “boutique” event on the Costa Smeralda. Made in Italy bubbles are perfect for a toast on a yacht or on the terrace of an exclusive villa at sunset. White wines paired with fish are ideal to dine in a starred restaurant or paired to dishes prepared by a personal chef. Local wines are on the rise, the Sardinian wines that over the past few years have made a quality boost and are more and more well known and loved, as well as local ingredients, from fresh fish to bottarga, fregola and cheeses, to be discovered and tasted in the small restaurants that continue the island’s food and wine traditions.
“Wine is the star of a journey regarding the environment, human and landscape, as well as characteristic cuisine”, Mauro Murgia, head sommelier of the Hotel Cala di Volpe, one of the most iconic and famous hotels on the Costa Smeralda, explained, “our international guests are experts in world wide viticulture, and therefore we have an enormous wine list, which includes the major Countries. They often ask us for advice on local wines, because they want to know and understand the winemaking spirit in Sardinia. We endeavor to understand their tastes and offer suggestions from the territory, which may be a confirmation or a discovery for them. The international guest is also very open to Sardinian wines. I “interview” them to understand their personal tastes. For instance, if someone tells me they love Californian Chardonnay, boisé aroma and structured, I suggest a Sardinian wine, which although it is a different typology, fits the description. Or, for those who love Bordeaux, I would suggest native vines with Bordeaux blends”.
“Costa Smeralda is the top tourist attraction in Sardinia. The target is highly varied, as it starts from the millionaire to then reach the common customer”, Massimo Cappai, head sommelier of the Cervo Hotel, of the Novikov, Quattropassi al Pescatore and Pomodoro restaurants and the Il Portico and Nuna al Sole bars, explained, “the people who come here want to try something local, starting from our exceptional classics. Vermentino and Cannonau are our “flagship grapes”, which within 2025 will be vinified in every way possible. Recently, though, other native vines have been rediscovered, such as Monica, Bovale or Semidano. For the most part, we have relations with customers used to traveling all over the world, who are looking for something special and different here”.
“Tourism has changed over the years, and although it is always at a medium-high level on Costa Smeralda, the target has varied as far as age groups are concerned, and therefore, different tastes”, Attilia Medda, AIS sommelier and delegate for Gallura, said, “this has meant that local producers have begun to follow trends, and implement innovations especially concerning product pleasing. Sardinian wines, especially Vermentino, as well as the native wines such as Bovale, Cannonau, Cagnulari or Torbato are very successful. A great deal of attention has been paid to the world of bubbles, which Sardinian production is now specializing in, offering a wide selection. Rosé wines are trending has well and local wineries are producing excellent products of this typology. People are looking for a less structured product compared to traditional ones. For instance, Cannonau, one of the island's excellent products, is available in many versions, offering various pairing possibilities. The tourist is much more aware, today, especially at high levels. This is why it is essential for the staff to not only understand their requests, but also know what wines to suggest”.
The “Porto Cervo Wine & Food Festival” is the first major event of the season officially launching the summer. It features 60 wine & spirits exhibitors and more than 20 food exhibitors, including historic companies and prestigious new entries. The event has been organized by Marriott International (which manages Hotel Cala di Volpe, Cervo Hotel, Pevero Golf Club and a vast collection of bars and restaurants on behalf of Smeralda Holding), and combines glamorous events, big brands, DJ sets, themed evenings, conviviality and a widespread event concept, as well as a stage where experts discuss future trends and recent scientific discoveries in the wine world.
The producer, Stefano Bottega of Bottega SpA, an iconic Prosecco brand, who participated in the event, said, “Costa Smeralda is an important market for us. It has an international clientele that is highly interested in Made in Italy products, and in our case, the products of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, putting Prosecco in first place. As a matter of fact, Italian sparkling wine is the absolute top growing wine. Today, customers who come to Sardinia already know about Prosecco and look for it, favoring high-end products in packaging as well”.
“The consumer that visits Costa Smeralda is aware and prepared”, Riccardo Polegato of the Friulian winery La Viarte, explained, “all of our wines are very successful, from Schioppettino to Sauvignon, and especially Friulano, which is a “cousin” of Vermentino. Therefore, they are mineral wines that have nice acidity and pair perfectly to the cuisine of this extraordinary territory, both sea and land”.
“Consumers visiting the Costa Smeralda have a medium-high profile, they are evermore curious and are high level spenders”, Mark Hartmann of Saraja, one of the emerging wineries in Sardinia, said, “who are knowledgable about the territory (Sardinia is highly appreciated on foreign markets), and consequently prepared and interested. Gallura, and its Vermentino, is an area experiencing a magical moment. We producers have the responsibility to raise the quality bar even higher. Of course, there are various typologies, from those that are immediately drinkable, thereby suitable for consumption "by the glass", to the more structured, and therefore, gastronomical ones. Local cuisine has great value, so the more structured wines go perfectly with local meats and game”.
“Since the covid pandemic, the structure of global luxury tourism has changed, on Costa Smeralda as well. We have lost tourists from Eastern Europe, which have been replaced, mostly, by Americans and Canadians”, Valentina Argiolas of Argiolas, one of Sardinia’s symbolic brands of wine, explained, “the traveler who comes here wants to learn about local products and brands, especially about white wines, which today are the most consumed typology. Sardinia has always been the top of the line of Italian Vermentino, and so the tourist is presented with a portfolio of products that are very different from each other, but characterized by identity and a modern taste, which appeals to international palates”.
“The tourist visiting Sardinia today, especially Costa Smeralda, has a deep knowledge of world wines, as well as a great desire and curiosity to discover our territory and our products”, Giovanni Pinna, director of Tenute Sella & Mosca (Terra Moretti), one of the most important companies on the island, said, “especially our core products, such as Vermentino, and among the red wines, Cannonau, as these wines perfectly reflect the needs of consumers. Vermentino communicates the territory, freshness and drinkability, accompanied by strong salinity, which makes it perfect for our fish dishes. Cannonau, instead, is a vine that for years was perceived as structured, while today in its most modern version, it is very delicate, elegant, and easy to drink. It is ideal paired to meat, as well as to fish. Therefore, the high-level spending tourist knows they will find not only territoriality, but also elegance and quality in Sardinia”.
The luxury tourist also loves to discover the island's wineries. “The Costa Smeralda clientele is a global elite arriving here every season by plane as well as by nautical tourism and large yachts”, Anna Columbano, hospitality manager of the historic Capichera winery, explained, “high-level spending clientele that want to get to know the local reality and learn something about the traditions. At our Estate, the tour begins with a sensory journey through the vineyards, connected to the local history of Gallura and nature, characterized by the Mediterranean scrub. Then, the guests are taken to an exclusive panoramic terrace, where we let them taste our wines, from rosé to Vermentino, paired with samples of selected local products, such as sheep sausage and goat cheese with fiorita rind”.
Jean-Paul Tréguer, owner with his wife Isabelle, of the winery So Chic! came to Sardinia from France five years ago. “The Costa Smeralda is a destination for international tourists who love rosé wines and are used to drinking the Rosés of Provence, which are widespread all over the world. They come in the summer, when it is hot and sunny, to a wonderful place, and they want to drink their favorite wine, cold and perhaps on the rocks. This is why we had the idea of creating a rosé from Sardinia, with the codes of the Provençal rosé, thanks to Cannonau, which is the oldest grape variety in the Mediterranean, as well as the ancestor of Grenache, the basis of all the greatest rosés in the world”.