Discover the sacred tradition of La Vendemmia, Sardinia’s grape harvest, where wine, ancestors, and community intertwine. Learn about the origins of grapes, winemaking, and how this ancient practice celebrates life, transformation, and connection.
One of the hallmarks of autumn in our Sardinian village is the unmistakable scent of fermenting grapes, blending with the earthy diesel fumes of tractors hauling their purple and green treasures. When these signs occur, my thoughts turn to La Vendemmia, the Italian grape harvest, a sacred tradition that not only nurtures the land but ties us to the rhythms of our ancestors.
Two years ago, in October, I was honored to participate in a Vendemmia in Sicily as part of a grief-writing retreat with Radici Siciliane, ancestral immersion experiences created by my friend MaryBeth Bonfiglio. Being invited to experience this on a family farm, surrounded by signing and jokes, and, of course, delicious food, will stay with me, probably forever.
The simple yet profound act of plucking sun-ripened grapes from the vine and stomping them in community felt like a ritual. It was a joyful communion between the living and the dead, especially as the time of Samhain, the final harvest was drawing near. In the sticky sweetness of that moment, it was as if we were offering a libation to life while honoring those who have passed, each squish beneath our feet a pulse in the great cycle of rebirth harkening back to the worship of Dionysus or Bacchus as he was known in the Roman world.
This year, after finally finding our home after three years of what felt like endless searching, we had our first family Vendemmia, at Il Boschetto Perduto (The little lost grove/forest is the name we’ve given our land). The grapes and vineyards here had been left abandoned for decades, so the grapes are completely wild at this point. Therefore, they didn’t produce a lot, but enough for us to make a liter of raw, unfiltered grape juice, a liter of kombucha, and enough to enjoy eating out of hand.
The Ancient Origins of Grapes and Winemaking
This sense of life’s renewal has long been tied to the grape. From as early as 6000 BCE, humans in the Caucasus region began cultivating grapevines, turning their precious fruit into the first wines. What started in Georgia soon spread throughout ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean, and by the time the Phoenicians arrived, grapevines were part of the very lifeblood of Sardinia.
In Sardinia, winemaking wasn’t just another craft; it was—and remains—a spiritual and community endeavor. The beloved Cannonau grape is believed to have originated here over 3,000 years ago, long before the Aragonese brought their grapevines. Local researchers have confirmed that Sardinia’s Cannonau may be one of the oldest wine varieties in the world, tying the island’s ancient peoples to a continuous tradition of life, health, and longevity.
The Health Benefits of Sardinian Wine
Sardinians drink wine not just for its flavor but for its life-giving properties. The Cannonau grape is said to have three times the antioxidants of other red wines, and many credit this elixir with contributing to the island’s high number of centenarians. Sardinia, a Blue Zone, is home to more people over the age of 100 than almost anywhere else on Earth. With every sip of Cannonau, one is drinking in both the wisdom of the earth and the vitality of Sardinian longevity.
Monti: A Village of Wine and Community
Our village, Monti, known as a città del vino (City of Wine), grows many wine-making varietals and has grown Vermentino grapes since the 14th century. This white varietal, known as Arratelau in the local Gallurese dialect, yields a crisp, mineral-rich wine kissed by the salty air of the Mediterranean. Each fall, local vineyards unite in a co-op to transform the fruits of their collective labor into a wine that graces tables near and far. Wine in Monti is a communal gift imbued with the stories of the land and the hands that tended it.
Dionysus and the Sacred Rituals of Winemaking
Winemaking in Sardinia is woven into the island’s deep-rooted reverence for cycles—of the land, of life, and the cosmos. In ancient times, the grape harvest was linked to the god Dionysus (or Bacchus), whose cult flourished in the Mediterranean and has deep roots in Sardinia.
As the god of the vine and of rebirth, he symbolized the transformation of grapes into wine, sorrow into joy, and life into death and back again. Sardinian culture still holds the echoes of these ancient Dionysian rites. For centuries, villagers would harvest together, their labor culminating in a ritual celebrating life and the connection between this world and the underworld. In some ways, each glass of wine remains a gateway to the divine, a communion with the ancestors.
A Time for Reflection and Transformation
La Vendemmia, a time to gather grapes, is also a sacred tradition that honors the transformations in nature and in ourselves. The grapes, swollen with the sun’s energy, are plucked and crushed, their juice becoming the must that will one day mature into wine. It is a process of patience, of trusting in time and the land, much like the Eleusinian Mysteries, where the cyclical journey of Persephone reflected the eternal dance between life and death.
Each year, as the grape harvest comes, we are reminded of our place in this cycle. The very word Vendemmia comes from the Latin vinum (wine) and demere (to take). But it is not only the grapes that are taken; it is also the wisdom of the earth, the spirit of community, and the connection to the past that we carry forward into the future.
Harvesting Your Own Connections
So, as autumn arrives and the scent of fermenting fruit wafts through the air, I invite you to reflect: What are the harvests in your life? What fruits are you gathering, and how do they tie you to your ancestors? La Vendemmia reminds us that every harvest, whether of grapes or memories, is a time for transformation—a time to honor what has come before and celebrate what is yet to be.
Images: Part of our Vendemmia at Il Boschetto Perduto, La Vendemmia in Sicilia, Mural of La Vecchia Vendemmia (The old grape harvest) in Monti, Sardinia.
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