Made from Vermentino, this crisp, lime-scented white comes from the Italian island of Sardinia, a top spot for this ancient grape variety.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The island of Sardinia boasts a wine culture that has been influenced as much by seafaring foreigners as by Italians. A case in point is this zippy Sardinian Vermentino, packed with bright apple and lime flavors. The Vermentino grape is of Spanish origin and has made Sardinia’s best whites since the 14th century or so. Vintner Antonella Ledà d’Ittiri is a newly minted winemaker from old Sardinian nobility. Fifteen years ago, she bought 45 acres on the island’s northwest peninsula and planted them to grapes and olives, which she now farms with her daughter Annamaria. Their Vermentino is as vivacious and charming as its makers; made in a crisply modern style, it was fermented in stainless steel (not oak) to preserve a minerally, citrusy freshness.