Donne, Vino e Design. Una serata nella cantina Audarya.

Saturday, March 2, I had the honor and pleasure of participating as a Sommelier at the evening dedicated to the theme Women, Wine and Design, organized at the Cantine Audarya in Serdiana and sponsored by the National Association Le donne del Vino, to which Nicoletta Pala and Beatrice Ragazzo also belong, the two young entrepreneurs leading the winery hosting the event.

Audarya, a young winery located in the heart of Parteolla, started its activity just 5 years ago, but has already achieved great results, both in terms of recognition for its products at national and international level, and in terms of wine tourism, an activity in which it seems to strongly believe, given the commitment and investments made in this regard.

The interpretation of the theme Women, Wine and Design gave the evening an all-female touch.

First of all, the entire winery was decorated with weaving works created by the artisan cooperative of Mogoro Su Trobasciu, founded in 1978, and composed exclusively of women, who continue a tradition that until a few decades ago was passed down from mother to daughter. The weavers of Su Trobasciu create beautiful tapestries, carpets, tablecloths, blankets, and other decorative fabric elements by hand loom, respecting the ancient designs of Sardinian tradition.

Another female presence was entrusted with the arduous task of delighting the palates of over 200 participants at the event. I am talking about Federica Buccoli of Mambo Kitchen, a very popular food blogger, who delighted us with her famous homemade meatball sandwich, also offering a tasty vegetable-based alternative for vegetarian guests.

Other women, 3 sommeliers from the Italian Sommelier Association, were instead entrusted with the task of dispensing the nectar of the Gods, that is, all the wines of Cantina Audarya from the latest vintage on the market. All the white wines could be tasted, from Nuragus to Vermentino, to the reds, up to the flagship wine of the winery, Il Nuracada, pure Bovale, aged a few months in French oak barriques before being bottled.

And again, a woman, specifically myself, was entrusted with the task of telling, through a guided tasting, the emotions, aromas and scents of Bisai (which in Sardinian means to dream), the sweet wine of the winery, obtained from overripe grapes of the Nasco variety. A wine with a golden yellow color, bright and consistent, with pronounced notes of dried fruit (apricot above all), honey, Mediterranean scrub and caramel. A sweet, soft and warm wine, with good notes of sapidity and freshness that will allow it to be enjoyed at its best from now and for at least another two years.

To make the tasting more engaging, we tried to pair the wine with a blue cheese from the Argiolas Dairy of Dolianova, expertly presented and described by another young woman, the entrepreneur Alessandra Argiolas, who fascinated us with the story of the dairy's founding by her grandfather, many years ago.

The audience gathered in the barrel cellar showed interest and participation both in the tasting and in the pairing.  

Of course, the main architects of the evening's success were Nicoletta and Beatrice, who once again proved to be excellent hostesses, able to make all the guests feel at ease.

The success of the evening was also obviously contributed to by some male figures. First and foremost Salvatore Pala, oenologist and wine maker of the winery; the DJ who skillfully filled the atmosphere with pleasant musical notes, which matched well with the notes of the wines; and also the Cherchi who on this occasion wanted to present a novelty to the public: Su cheese. It is a sort of local sushi (hence the play on words in the name) revisited and proposed using a base of goat cheese from the Argiolas dairy, paired with various cured meats, from the sweeter ones like guanciale to the spicier ones like Calabrian 'nduja. An incredible public success and a triumph for the palate. 

Women, Wine and Design and I would add Food, were the ingredients of this success. I hope that this short story has been able to convey the emotions and pleasantness of the evening to those who unfortunately could not attend. See you next year.