When Dreams Come True in Sardinia

Alexandria, VA – In 2018 Renato Spanu, owner of Jankara, moved to Sant’Antonio di Gallura, Sardinia to fulfill his dream of running his winery, Jankara, and his dedication is paying off with a new winery and a new Cinque Grappoli Award from Bibenda.

Daring to Dream Big

Located in picturesque Sant’Antonio di Gallura, building their own winery is the next step in a journey to fulfill a dream that began 13 years ago for Renato and Angela Spanu.  The winery, which began the expansion in May 2019, is fully operational and will allow the Spanus, along with partners Angelo and Denise Elia, to oversee the entire winemaking process from grape to bottle.

“We are truly a small family winery, therefore everything falls on ourselves to accomplish. We take care of the vineyards, we make the wine, we sell the wine and so on, if we don’t do it no one else does. therefore we are involved in every single detail of the process, hands on from start to finish.” laughs Renato.

However, the hard work it suits him well and is something that the Spanus have never shied away from. The vineyards were virgin hillsides before the Spanus began to plant their vines and Renato helped to plant the vines himself.

In addition to its winemaking capabilities, the new winery also has a tasting room that can accommodate 10 people.  Something that Renato is hoping to put to good use educating wine lovers from around the world about Sardinia Vermentino.

Reaping the Rewards

For all of the Spanus’ hard work, they are reaping the benefits.  Just announced this week, Jankara Vermentino di Gallura Superiore DOCG 2018 has been awarded the prestigious Cinque Grappoli award from Bibenda.  Renato could not be more thrilled.

“Bibenda, along with Gambero Rosso are the two most followed Italian wine publications in the world,” he explains, “Winning their top award is incredibly humbling! Only about 200-300 wines out of 20,000 achieve this.”

The Bibenda Wine Guide is published annually by the Italian Sommelier Foundation which is committed to the education of professionals and consumers around the world regarding Italian wine.

Never Losing Focus

Renato and Angela seem to have taken everything in stride.  Despite their recent recognition, Renato knows that there is still work to be done and entering into the Fall season things are about to get very busy around the winery.

“The 2019 harvest starts in two days,” informs a very please Renato, “and so far the quality of the grapes is very high. We had slightly less production than we expected but it should be a superb vintage.”

The Spanus’ dedication to their dream has paid off and with winemaker Gianni Menotti, who was crowned Best Wine Maker by Bibenda in 2012, by their side the future is looking bright.