Panevino Survivor Rosso 2023

Panevino occupies approximately six hectares of old bush-trained vines near Nurri, a small town in central Sardinia located about 80 kilometers north of Cagliari between the Ogliastra and Barbagia regions. Gianfranco Manca, the estate's sole vigneron, calls himself "vignaiolo sulla terra"—a phrase meaning both "vigneron on earth" and "vigneron on the land."

Gianfranco inherited both a bakery and neglected vineyard plots from his uncle. Already skilled in fermentation through bread-making, he began rehabilitating the old vines in the mid-1980s but did not label wines commercially until 2005. The vineyards sit at roughly 700 meters elevation on diverse soils including clay, limestone, schist, and quartz. Vines are trained in the traditional alberello (goblet) system and include over 30 indigenous varieties—predominantly Cannonau alongside rare grapes like Muristellu, Molletu, Nuragus, Semidano, Retallada, Vernaccia, Monica, and Tzaccaredda, some of which had nearly disappeared from Sardinian viticulture.

Panevino operates according to strict natural winemaking principles that Gianfranco considers beyond biodynamics. No herbicides, pesticides, or systemic treatments are used in the vineyards—only minimal copper when absolutely necessary. In the cellar, wines ferment spontaneously in open wooden vats with native yeasts, then age for 12 months in older oak barrels. Bottling occurs without fining, filtration, or added sulfites. The estate holds organic certification from AIAB, an Italian organic certification body.

Each vintage produces different cuvées with names and labels that change annually—often painted by Gianfranco's son Isacco. Total production reaches approximately 20,000 bottles in a typical year, though recent vintages have suffered significant losses: hail in 2015, drought in 2017, mildew in 2018, and a combination of downy mildew and extreme heat in 2023 that reduced yields to just 15% of normal. The name "Panevino" translates simply to "bread and wine."

Sardinia lies 150 miles off the western coast of mainland Italy in the Mediterranean Sea, making it the country's second-largest island after Sicily. Viticulture here predates Roman times, with archaeological evidence suggesting winemaking traditions stretching back to the Nuragic civilization over 3,000 years ago. Today the island cultivates approximately 27,000 hectares of vines across dramatically varied terrain.

The interior highlands—where producers like Panevino farm near Nurri in the Ogliastra-Barbagia border region—reach elevations of 700 meters or higher. Soils in these areas consist of ancient schist, granite, limestone, clay, and quartz, often appearing red from iron oxide content. The altitude creates significant diurnal temperature variation, preserving acidity while allowing full phenolic ripeness during the long Mediterranean growing season. Coastal and lowland zones experience hotter, drier conditions better suited to international varieties and high-volume production.

Cannonau—genetically identical to Grenache—dominates red wine production and accounts for roughly 30% of Sardinian vineyard plantings. DNA research suggests the variety may have originated on the island before spreading to Spain and France. Beyond Cannonau, Sardinia preserves dozens of indigenous varieties rarely found elsewhere: Carignano del Sulcis (a local Carignan strain), Monica, Muristellu, Cagnulari, Bovale Sardo, and obscure grapes like Molletu and Girò for reds; Vermentino, Nuragus, Semidano, Vernaccia di Oristano, Nasco, and Malvasia di Sardegna for whites.

A growing movement of natural wine producers has emerged across the island, working to revive abandoned vineyards and preserve ancient varieties through organic and biodynamic farming. Many of these vignerons practice minimal intervention in the cellar—spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, extended macerations, aging in neutral vessels, and bottling without fining, filtration, or added sulfites. The traditional bush-vine training system, alberello, remains widespread in older plantings, keeping yields naturally low while protecting grapes from intense summer heat.