Cannonau

Granted, it sounds crazy. But there's something about it. Because this is about getting old. Or rather, a study on ageing, researched by the so-called supercentenarians. This refers to people who can live to be a hundred years old or older without too many ailments. Did you know that the stronghold of old men is Sardinia? And right in the middle of all this, in the discussion about a really long life, is - who is surprised - wine. Not just any wine, but the Sardinian wine, the Cannonau. Sardinia is the undisputed leader in the world in terms of the number of male inhabitants over one hundred years old. Which in turn has prompted the Sardinian University of Sassari to investigate possible causes of these Solomon-like ages. The research project was sensibly called "AkeA" - the abbreviation of "a kent annos" which in Sardinian means "to a hundred years", a popular greeting in the streets of the island. And research director Luca Deiana, a young man of 72 years and professor of biomedicine at the same university, found what he was looking for. Listen and be amazed: Professor Deiana was able to prove a close connection between wine consumption and longevity in his study, the correlation is high and the effect is not due to wine per se but to the exceptional Cannonau grape. This is because it has an above-average proportion of antioxidants, which has a positive or cushioning effect on cell ageing. Not only the Italian media have praised the study results and this striking argument for Sardinian wine consumption. Whoever now thinks he has hardly heard of Cannonau may be mistaken. The Sardinian island grape is genetically virtually identical to the well-known Grenache. With over 10,000 hectares of vineyards, it is one of the most important red grape varieties on the island. But it is not only there that this variety is very popular, it is one of the top five cultivars worldwide, as Grenache noire in France or Garnacha in Spain. And to make things even more confusing, it can be found in nearby Tuscany under the name of Alicante. The grape is also very popular in the New World, especially in Australia, California and Argentina. At the same time, it is a wine similar to the islanders: rarely opulent or loud, rather robust and without much frippery. It is kept in the same way as on the Costa Smeralda: the big blingbling is better left to the tourists. It is mostly pressed red, white wines are rare. The colour of the wine is light and it is also rather poor in tannins and soft, but rich in alcohol. This makes room for fruit sweetness with aromas of berries and plums. With low yields or under extreme climatic conditions, the Cannonau can also produce extremely storable and concentrated red wines. Aren't these convincing arguments for trying the Cannonau? And this time we do not only wish salutes but "a kent annos"! So that you can enjoy a hundred years and more of good wine. Of course not only but maybe also Cannonau.