GIANFRANCO MANCA PANEVINO

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Located in Nurri, the Mediterranean island-jewel of Sardinia, about 80 Km from Cagliari and just at the edge of the mountainous yet sea-facing area of Ogliastra, Panevino is the passion child of Gianfranco Manca. Gianfranco, as iconic and charismatica figure in the natural wine world as he is a shy and reclusive one, likes to call himself “vignaiolo sulla terra”, which means both vigneron “on earth” and “on the land/terroir”. This definition and its ambivalent nuances express perfectly the depth of vision and commitment of this unique vigneron and wine philosopher, a true artisan/artist, capable of extracting the very soul of Sardinian grapes. He works according to a strict naturist ethos (way beyond biodynamics) about 6 hectares of old vines mostly of Cannonau but with a wealth of over 30 varieties, some of which quite ancient and almost disappeared, such as Molletu, Muristellu, Alicante, Semidano, Nuragus, Vernaccia, Retallada, Vermentino and Tzaccaredda. We’re at a rather high elevation of about 700 m, in a terroir blessed with a variety of rich and diverse soils, such as clay, limestone and schist. Just like most of the cuveès, which change every year and with different labels painted by his son, each wine is a unique and living work of art, where the concept of terroir is deconstructed and transcended, leaving the “energy of man” and the vision and hand of the vigneron as the supreme protagonists.