Sardinia Wine Tours & Culinary Vacation
Vermentino – Cannonau – Mirto – Nuragic History – Granite & Sea – Sardinian Soul
Private custom travel also available for groups, families, and culinary clubs.
Hosted by Chef Marcus & Jamie Guiliano
Travel through Sardinia with Marcus and Jamie Guiliano, from the granite hills of Gallura and the glamour of the Costa Smeralda to the shepherd villages of Barbagia, the vineyards of Oristano, the ancient stone towers of the Nuragic world, and the harbor life of Cagliari.
Sardinia through people, flavor, and place
Sardinia has a different rhythm. The interior feels ancient. The coast feels wild. The hospitality feels personal and unhurried.
One morning you may walk through a 3,000-year-old Nuragic tower. That afternoon, you may taste Cannonau with a family whose vines climb the mountains above Oliena. By evening, you may be eating bottarga and fregola while the light fades over the Sinis Peninsula.
Marcus and Jamie love Sardinia because the island stays true to itself. The best moments come through people, winemakers, shepherds, distillers, and hoteliers who still carry Sardinian traditions forward.
Gallura, San Pantaleo, the Costa Smeralda, Tempio Pausania, Barbagia, Oliena, Orgosolo, Mamoiada, Oristano, Zeddiani, the Sinis Peninsula, Barumini, and Cagliari.
Private winery visits, owner-hosted tastings, granite-soil Vermentino, mountain Cannonau, Vernaccia di Oristano, Mirto and Sardinian spirits, a hosted water-and-terroir tasting, seafood lunches, boutique and cultural hotels, agriturismo tables, Nuragic history, and the kind of island hospitality that turns a trip into a story.
One hosted departure Private journeys by request
Join a hosted Sardinia departure, or ask us to design a private version for your own group.
No giant buses
No tourism desks
No generic itineraries
Most tours show you Sardinia, but we introduce you to Sardinians. You will not simply visit wineries, you will meet the families behind them. You will not simply eat great food, you will understand the culture that created it. Because on this journey the owner, winemaker, or shepherd often becomes your guide.
City & Region Highlights
Winery & Producer Highlights
Winery & Producer Highlights
Hotel & Agriturismo Highlights
Sardinia is tasted slowly
Expect fregola, malloreddus, suckling pig, seadas, pane carasau, aged pecorino, bottarga di muggine, fresh shellfish, olive oil, Sardinian honey, and long tables where Cannonau and Vermentino flow. This is island food built on farming, herding, and the sea, meant not to impress you but to feed you.
A slower way through Sardinia
The journey follows an open-jaw route, arriving through Olbia and departing through Cagliari, so the days move in one direction: polished Gallura luxury, the cultural heart of Barbagia, the western wine country, and finally the capital. The hotels progress from international luxury to Sardinian personality to rural privacy to a city finale.
Arrival in Olbia and San Pantaleo
Guests arrive at Olbia Airport and are welcomed by Marcus and Jamie, then transfer to Petra Segreta in the granite hills outside San Pantaleo. The afternoon is for the spa and the village, followed by a welcome reception with Sardinian sparkling wine, local cheeses, and charcuterie, and a welcome dinner at the resort.
Gallura Wine and the Costa Smeralda
Begin with a private visit to Piero Mancini for Vermentino di Gallura DOCG, granite soils, and the link between coast and grape, followed by a seafood lunch of bottarga, shellfish, fregola, and grilled fish. The afternoon stays relaxed with a coastal boat experience or a scenic drive along the Costa Smeralda, then dinner near San Pantaleo.
Smeraldina Water and the Journey into Barbagia
Travel inland toward Tempio Pausania for a private visit to Smeraldina Water, built as a guided water-and-terroir tasting rather than a factory tour. After a countryside lunch, continue through the mountainous interior to Su Gologone near Oliena for a traditional dinner of handmade pasta, local cheeses, suckling pig, Cannonau, and Mirto.
Oliena, Cannonau, and the Soul of Sardinia
Begin at the dramatic Su Gologone spring, then visit Iolei Winery for Cannonau di Sardegna and Nepente di Oliena, paired with a private, deeply local lunch. In the afternoon, explore Orgosolo and its murals with a local guide before a relaxed dinner focused on Barbagia cuisine.
Mamoiada, Berteru, and Western Sardinia
Visit the Museum of Mediterranean Masks in Mamoiada, then taste Berteru at Cantina Gungui, comparing high-elevation Cannonau with the wines of Oliena. After a mountain lunch, travel west to Is Cheas Wine & Boutique Farm near San Vero Milis for an estate tasting and a private farm-to-table dinner.
Silvio Carta, Bottarga, and the Sinis Peninsula
Begin with a private visit to Silvio Carta in Zeddiani for Vernaccia di Oristano, Mirto, gin, amaro, and a guided digestivo tasting. Continue to Cabras for a bottarga-centered lunch, then visit Tharros or the Giants of Mont’e Prama, returning to Is Cheas for a sunset aperitivo and estate dinner.
Su Nuraxi and Cagliari
Travel south with a private expert-guided visit to Su Nuraxi in Barumini, Sardinia’s only UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site. After lunch in the Marmilla countryside, arrive in Cagliari and check into Palazzo Tirso, with a guided walk through the Castello district and a rooftop aperitivo before dinner.
Bresca Dorada and Southeastern Sardinia
Travel toward Muravera for a private visit to Bresca Dorada, meeting the family and tasting Mirto, green Mirto, citrus liqueurs, amaro, and Sardinian honey. Continue to the southeastern coast for a seafood lunch by the sea, then return to Cagliari for a final rooftop reception and a farewell dinner with wines from every region visited.
Departure
Breakfast at Palazzo Tirso, then private transfers to Cagliari Airport based on individual flight times. Guests depart with wines, stories, producer memories, and a deeper understanding of the island.
Questions before Sardinia
What airport should I fly into?
Is Sardinia worth visiting?
What is Sardinia famous for?
What are the best wine regions in Sardinia?
What is Cannonau?
What is Vermentino di Gallura?
When is the best time to visit Sardinia?
How many days should I spend in Sardinia?
Is this suitable for beginners?
Can dietary restrictions be accommodated?
Do Americans need a visa to visit Sardinia?
What should I pack?
Why travel to Sardinia with VIP Winery Vacations?
Join the Sardinia journey before it fills
Only 8 to 14 guests are invited into this hosted Sardinia experience. The size is intentional. It protects the intimacy, the access, and the conversations that make the trip special.
Leave your details and Marcus or Jamie will personally share more tour details.
Your details are used only to follow up about the Sardinia hosted journey or private travel request.
