I waited a little before writing this article. Then, I thought to myself, “Well, some things just have to be said…” and I started with the title…
There are bottles you can’t wait to open. Others somehow end up in your glass almost by chance. And then there are those that, after the very first sip, make you think: I wasn’t expecting this. For a few years, a bottle of Armonicu Rosato 2020 by Depperu Family had been quietly resting in my cellar. There was no particular reason why it had stayed there. Perhaps, without even realizing it, I was simply waiting for the right moment.
That moment came a few evenings ago in Anzio. My friend Luca had organized a seafood crudo dinner, and the raw prawns were simply spectacular. It was one of those evenings without formalities, when wine doesn’t have to prove anything. It simply accompanies the pleasure of being together.
I have to admit something: I’ve never had a particularly easy relationship with rosé wines. I’ve always respected them and often appreciated them, but they haven’t always managed to move me. That’s probably my limitation rather than theirs.
And yet Armonicu completely caught me by surprise. Not because it tried to impress. Quite the opposite. It won me over with a well-defined personality, without chasing easy appeal. Above all, it showed a remarkable salinity that, alongside those raw prawns, seemed to speak exactly the same language as the sea. It was one of those pairings where neither protagonist tries to outshine the other.
What continues to intrigue me is the thought that all this comes from a Sardinian Nebbiolo. On paper, it might almost sound like an exercise in style. Yet in the glass it reveals a surprising sense of coherence and authenticity.
I have to admit it: that bottle made me reconsider many of my preconceptions about rosé wines.
As I was driving home, I realized something. That hadn’t been my first “wow” of the summer. A few weeks earlier I had tasted the latest vintage of Ruinas, a wine I’ve known for years and that I consider one of the great certainties of Sardinian winemaking. Yet my impression is that this latest release has taken another step forward, becoming even more confident and conscious of its own identity.
That was the moment when I connected the dots. Two completely different wines. Two different emotions.
Two “wows.” The same signature.
I don’t know whether Depperu Family set out with this goal. I only know that, within the space of a few weeks, two of their wines managed to surprise me for completely different reasons. And after so many years spent tasting wines, that is perhaps the most sincere compliment I can pay a winemaker.
Because there are many good wines.
The ones that can still change your perspective, even if only for one evening, are considerably rarer.
