Cala Silente: the essence of Sardinian Vermentino

Cala Silente: the essence of Sardinian Vermentino

Cala Silente: The Essence of Sardinian Vermentino

Cala Silente is a distinguished white wine from Sardinia, Italy. It is crafted by the renowned Cantina Santadi winery. This wine is a 100% Vermentino di Sardegna DOC. It truly showcases the potential of Sardinia’s signature white grape. Its taste captures the unique spirit of its Mediterranean origin.

From the Heart of Sulcis, Sardinia

Cantina Santadi is located in the Sulcis district of southwestern Sardinia. The winery was founded in 1960 in the town of Santadi. In 2025, it proudly marks its 65th anniversary. The cooperative is a standard-bearer for quality Sardinian wine.

Unique terroir:  Their Cala Silente (“Silent Cove”) perfectly expresses this unique terroir. Vineyards in Sulcis benefit from a coastal climate. Summers are warm and dry, while winters remain mild.

The grapes grow in sandy and clay-loam soils. This specific soil composition gives the wine its distinct character.

Cala Silente: the essence of Sardinian Vermentino
Cala Silente: the essence of Sardinian Vermentino

Winemaking Process

The winemaking for Cala Silente is meticulous. The grapes are carefully selected Vermentino. They are harvested in early September in Sardinia. The grapes undergo a gentle pressing. Fermentation happens in cool stainless steel tanks. This process preserves the wine’s delicate fruit aromas. The wine then ages on its lees. This technique adds complexity, structure, and a richer mouthfeel.

Tasting Profile

-Appearance: Cala Silente shows a brilliant straw yellow color. It has subtle greenish-gold reflections.

-Aroma: The nose is intense and inviting. It offers a bouquet of fresh fruit aromas. You will notice crisp green apple, ripe peach, and zesty citrus. Hints of flowers and Sardinian minerality complete the scent.

Palate: The palate is both elegant and full-bodied. It balances fresh acidity with a pleasing roundness. Flavors of stone fruit and citrus carry through. A characteristic saline note points to its coastal Sardinian origin. The finish is long, persistent, and refreshing.

Food Pairing Suggestions:  Cala Silente is a versatile wine for food pairing. Its crispness is perfect for rich seafood and shellfish. This makes it a classic pairing choice. The wine also complements flavorful white meats and poultry. Try it with pasta dishes using vegetable or light cream sauces. For a true taste of Sardinia, pair it with local food. Enjoy it with Sardinian specialties like fregola with clams or grilled sea bass.

Cala Silente: the essence of Sardinian Vermentino

The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is a prestigious international competition, established in 1994, known for its rigorous standards and commitment to identifying the world’s finest wines and spirits. Split into various sessions and selections throughout the year, it evaluates over 15,000 entries annually. An exclusively professional tasting panel ensures a blind tasting process focused solely on quality, making the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles a globally recognized benchmark for excellence in wine and spirits. 

Italy delivered an exceptional performance during the 32nd edition of the prestigious Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. With a total of 351 awards, the country confirmed its top position in the wine world. The Italian wines were decorated with 15 Grand Gold Medals, 132 Gold Medals, and 204 Silver Medals.

This year, the competition for red and white wines took place from June 10 to 12, 2025, in Yinchuan, the heart of China’s Ningxia wine region. An international jury of 375 experts blind-tasted over 7,165 wines. These wines came from 49 different countries, highlighting the global scale of the event.

The Cala Silente 2024 from Cantina di Santadi got a gold medal at this competition.

For more information about the winery, take a look at their website:

Cantina di Santadi: a new label for Villa Solais

Cantina di Santadi: a new label for Villa Solais.

NEW LOOK, SAME SOUL!

“Villa Solais is getting a makeover! 
Since 1982, our Vermentino di Sardegna has been synonymous with tradition and quality, a wine that tells the unique perfumes and flavors of our land. Santadi presents the new bottle of Villa Solais: a restyling that unites past and future to offer you an even more special experience.
Renewed form with an elegant and modern design and a label that pays homage to our origins, with a reminder of the historical image that made Villa Solais iconic, now reinterpreted in a colourful, fresh and cheerful style.”
– Cantina Santadi- 

NEW

OLD

VERMENTINO DI SARDEGNA VILLA SOLAIS DOC

PLACE OF ORIGIN: From vineyards located in 5 municipalities of the lower Sulcis district, with counter-espalier training, on different types of soils.

SOIL COMPOSITION: Medium mixture, tending to sandy or clayey.

GRAPE VARIETIES: Vermentino 85%, Nuragus 15%.

CLIMATE: Hot and dry summers, mild winters.

VINICATION AND DEVELOPMENT: The hand-picked grapes are soft-pressed, and the must obtained is fermented in stainless steel tanks under controlled temperature, so as to preserve its fragrance and aromas. The wine is then left in contact with its lees for several months before being bottled.

TASTING NOTES:  Brilliant straw yellow, with green and golden tinges. Fresh and pleasant on the nose. On the palate delivers a nice fresh finish  together with an attractive mineral note.

MATCHINGS: Its favourite matches are seafood first courses and white meat. Especially pleasant when served very cool, also as an aperitif.

Silver for Santadi's Rocca Rubia

Cantina di Santadi is located in the Sulcis area, in South-western Sardinia, just a few miles as the crow flies from the dazzling beaches and white sand dunes of Porto Pino. It was established in 1960, and after some start-up difficulties, a new management gave it a decisive boost, driven by strong determination which fanned enthusiasm and passion.
The winery embarked on an ambitious programme, adopting new strategies and clear targets, streamlining its operations and issuing coherent guidelines to its member grape growers.

Santadi’s awards’ update

Santadi‘s awards’ update: nice awards for Santadi’s wines in the 2025 edition of the Guida I Migliori Vini della Sardegna by VinodaBere

GRAPES: Carignano 95%, Bovaleddu 5%

TASTING NOTES: 
Colour: Deep ruby red, light garnet tinges.
Nose: Rare, complex notes: plums and blueberries, sweet spices, bay, juniper, tobacco and chocolate.
Taste: rich, warm, mellow, fruity and spicy notes, suave tannins.

FOOD PAIRING: Excellent with roasted or grilled meat and game, aromatic and spiced dishes, medium to long seasoned cheese.

99,4/100

GRAPES: Typical local white grapes.

ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS:
Color: amber color accompanied by a great consistency.
Nose: intense bouquet of honey, caramel, vanilla sugar and cloves.
Taste: persistent, balanced in the mouth, with a never cloying sweetness and a finish reminiscent of orange blossoms.

FOOD PAIRING: From fried ricotta ravioli seasoned with honey, to well-matured cheeses. Enhances any type of dessert.

99/100

GRAPES: Carignano 100%

TASTING NOTES: 
Colour: Deep, almost solid ruby red.
Nose: Intense fruity notes of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, myrtle, leather and liquorice. Taste: Big and velvety, great structure and long aromatic finish, a full-bodied wine.

FOOD PAIRING: It matches red meats, wild boar, roast suckling pig and mature Pecorino cheese.

 

96,8/100

GRAPE VARIETIES: Carignano 100%

TASTING NOTES: 
Colour: Bright rosé with cherry tinges.
Nose: Elegantly fruity, with hints of forest berries and strawberry.
Taste: Harmonious and exuberant in the mouth, with medium-long finish.

FOOD PAIRING: It enhances gourmet seafood starters, delicate first courses and white meats.

 

96,7/100

GRAPES: Cannonau 90%, Carignano 10%

TASTING NOTES: 
Colour: intense ruby red, tending to garnet.
Nose: Mediterranean notes, complex, blueberry and ripe-blackberry aromas, spices tending sweet, tobacco and chocolate.
Palate: warm, soft, sweet tannins of rare intensity

FOOD PAIRING: It matches well structured dishes, such as roasted and grilled meat, fish, game and cheese.

96/100

CANTINA DI SANTADI

The Cantina di Santadi Winery is located in the Sulcis area, in South-western Sardinia, just a few miles as the crow flies from the dazzling beaches and white sand dunes of Porto Pino.
The Cantina di Santadi Winery is located in the Sulcis area, in South-western Sardinia, just a few miles as the crow flies from the dazzling beaches and white sand dunes of Porto Pino.
It was established in 1960, and after some start-up difficulties, a new management gave it a decisive boost, driven by strong determination which fanned enthusiasm and passion.
Thus the Winery embarked on an ambitious programme, adopting new strategies and clear targets, streamlining its operations and issuing coherent guidelines to its member grape growers.