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5218 Lawton Avenue
Oakland, CA 94114

510-654-9159

Oliver McCrum Wines has been importing small production Italian wine and distributing to fine retail and restaurant establishes throughout California since 1994. Over time, our portfolio of producers has steadily grown to over 45 producers from 15 different regions of Italy. We look for typical Italian wines with clarity and freshness, usually made from indigenous Italian grape varieties using clean, transparent winemaking techniques and no obvious use of oak. 

Blog

Gungui Should Be On Your Sardinian Shortlist

Michele Boscia

If you are in search of pure, high-elevation expressions of Sardinian Cannonau, then Gungui Berteru should be on your shortlist.

-Eric Guido, Vinous

While we appreciate the above quote from Vinous, the number of people searching out any sort of Sardinian Cannonau is likely quite small, let alone “pure, high-elevation expressions.”

Nevertheless, for those who like adventure we believe the rustic grit and intensity of Luca Gungui’s Sardinian Cannonau (the Italian version of Grenache or Garnacha) is a journey worth taking. That’s because, unlike the juicy and fruit-forward expressions we love from France and Spain, the Berteru wines are far more savory, mineral-driven, and full-bodied than what we’re used to from the Rhône or Campo de Borja.

“They’re almost bloody,” said our sales associate Liz Rubin during a recent tasting of Gungui’s Berteru lineup.

Berteru means “sincere” in the Mamoiada dialect. You only need to spend a few minutes with Luca Gungui to understand why he chose this name for his wine label. The Berteru wines are as sincere an expression of land and place as any in the Oliver McCrum portfolio, as Gungui not only eschews cultured yeasts (he believes they interfere with sincerity), he works primarily with unusually high altitude vineyards and remains as hands-off as possible with his farming practices.

The Cannonau wines that come from these granite-rich vineyards are some of the most dynamic we’ve ever tasted. They’re also some of the hardest to find. Berteru is one of our smallest producers and we get very little of the wines to sell each year. With just four total hectares to farm, tasting Gungui’s Cannonau is an experience not enough people have to opportunity to enjoy.

One of our goals for this year is to expand the Gungui universe beyond the handful of major critics and restaurateurs who snatch up the tiny allocations available annually. We need more people to see what the fuss is about! It’s tough with so little wine available, but we’re making an effort.

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