Wine of the week: a top-level vermentino that just keeps giving
This Sardinian white brings loads of vitality and a racy, stone-fruit-bitterness to a fine lunch.


2019 Vermentino di Sardegna, Antonella Corda, Sardinia, Italy
£19, woodshirewines.com; £19.95, oldbridgewine.co.uk
Ten years ago, after finishing her masters in viticulture at the prestigious Fondazione Edmund Mach Foundation in Trentino, Antonella Corda, the grand-daughter of famed viticulturalist Antonio Argiolas, founded her winery, a few miles north of Cagliari in the village of Serdiana. Antonio, who lived to the age of 104, left Antonella two of his prized vineyards, and this wine comes from his favourite, Mitza Manna.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Top-level vermentino is a rare beast as, more often than not, it runs out of puff around the £15-mark. This wine, however, is a “Grand Cru”. I first tasted Corda’s wines on a mini-break to Sardinia a few years ago and I have never forgotten the vitality and racy, stone-fruit-bitterness which they bring to a fine lunch. There is mid-palate weight here, too, which means that there is fascinating sleight of hand in play. You can pour and drink this pin-sharp white as an electrifying aperitif, but if you bring canapés into view, it grows in the glass. Keep going and move to sashimi and ceviche dishes and it blossoms even more. Then launch a volley of lobsters or a cavalcade of serious quality fish mains and it, again, steps up like a pole-vaulter clearing ever-higher bars. They make a wickedly refreshing raspberry and fresh-herb soaked Cannonau here, too (drink this with vitello tonnato), but we will have to wait a few months for the 2019 to arrive because the ’18 is sold out. I, for one, cannot wait.
Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)
Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.
Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.
He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.
Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’. He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner.
Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.
-
SIPP holders to get cash warnings and be offered default funds
News Providers will be required to offer investors a default fund and must warn customers of the inflationary risk of cash savings the regulator has said. What the new rules mean for your retirement pot?
By Marc Shoffman Published
-
Zoopla: Asking price discounts hit a five-year high – is now the time to buy a property?
News Zoopla’s October House Price Index shows sellers are accepting discounts of 5.5% on average to secure a sale – we reveal where homeowners are taking the biggest asking price cuts
By Marc Shoffman Published
-
Calilo – sustainable luxury on a Greek island: MoneyWeek Travel
MoneyWeek Travel Rupert Hargreaves visits Calilo, a resort on the Greek island of Ios, where sustainability and luxury live in harmony
By Rupert Hargreaves Published
-
England’s sparkling wine industry has potential for early investors
Global warming has changed the game for England’s sparkling wine industry – even growers in Champagne are planting in England. Brave investors might like to join the party early.
By Simon Wilson Last updated
-
Hotel Indigo Durham review: a delightful stay in Durham – MoneyWeek travel
MoneyWeek Travel During a stay at the Hotel Indigo Durham sees Matthew Partridge revisit his old student stomping grounds.
By Dr Matthew Partridge Published
-
The Brando, a Polynesian paradise – MoneyWeek travel
MoneyWeek Travel Sustainability meets the last word in luxury on Marlon Brando's island in French Polynesia, says Chris Carter
By Chris Carter Last updated
-
The 10 cheapest countries to travel to
Features Looking to get away but want to keep costs low? Check out these 10 holiday destinations which remain cheap despite rising inflation.
By Nicole García Mérida Published
-
A South African adventure
Reviews From buzzy Johannesburg to big game drives, South Africa has it all, says Katie Monk
By Katie Monk Published
-
Villa Gaia Rock: perfect harmony in Corfu
Reviews Blend in with your surroundings at the new Villa Gaia Rock in Corfu.
By Chris Carter Published
-
Indulge your wild side with a safari in deepest Kent
Reviews Get up close to the animals at Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve, says Matthew Partridge
By Dr Matthew Partridge Published