Menhir, Tombs of the Giants and Nuraghis place the origins of Monti somewhere in the New Stone Age (6000 B.C.). After the Nuraghic age, the area came under control of the Romans, opposed by the fearsome warrior tribes of the Bàlari, who from the Limbara range threatened the route to Olbia, a strategic port for produce on its way to Rome.
In the fourth century, Sardinia passed under Byzantine rule. In that period, Monti exploited its rich natural resources: strawberry tree fruit, honey, myrtle, and cork, which attracted pious folk, pilgrims and hermits who often elected their abode in the concas, natural shelters in the rock face, still visible today. In the late Middle Ages, monastic orders also settled in the village, starting systematic cultivation of the grape, already introduced to Sardinia by the Phoenicians.
The name of the village was first mentioned in official documents back in 1603, although it only had a population of 188 at that time. The Spanish brought the Vermentino grape with them: in the local soil this vine-stock found ideal growing conditions, thanks to the thin granite weathering soils, highly permeable and rich in potassium. Old 'bizantteris' grape growers tell us of cultivation techniques: the cuttings of the new vineyard (raglia) are planted in the virgin, freshly levelled soil, or in already cultivated soil left fallow for one year.
The vineyard is cultivated as erect shrub monoculture, spaced close together, tended by hand, bordered by the typical dry stone walls, and a small wooden gate, sa jaghe.
The signature local grape, Vermentino: native to Spain, Listan d'Andalusia reached France - Grosse Clarette, Alvosie d'Espagne, Piccabon - then spread to neighbouring Liguria - Pizzamosca, Corbesso, Vemettino - and finally reached the shores of Corsica and Gallura as Vermentino. Thanks to accurate tending in the vineyard and at the Winery, in 1975 Vermentino was awarded the DOC label - Controlled Place of Origin - and, later, in 1996 DOCG - Controlled and Guaranteed Place of Origin.
Sardinia: in this great vineyard surrounded by the sea, in the territory of Gallura, constantly caressed by the wind, rainfall rarely exceeds 800 mm, temperatures never fall below 8° /9°C, summers are especially warm, with considerable differences between daytime and night-time temperatures.
The members of the Vermentino Winery have planted and tend five hundred hectares of vineyards - Vermentino, Cagnulari, Muristello, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Cannonau, Carignano, Caricaggiola, Monica, and Moscato in granite weathering soils, lying between 200 and 500 m asl, relatively thin, highly permeable, rich in potassium, with low organic substance content, reaction is almost always acid or sub-acid, spacing in the vineyard is with traditional grapevine training and pruning systems.
Thanks to the wine-making skill and dedication of the vintners of Monti, over the years the land became dotted with many small vineyards. And, in July 1956, 22 farsighted winemakers, in order to guarantee correct processing of harvested grapes created the Cantina Sociale del Vermentino whose name pays tribute to the noblest of Gallura grapes. The Winery has today 350 members who cultivate vineyards in the territories of Monti, Telti, Olbia, Loiri and Porto San Paolo, for a total of 500 hectares, delivering selected grapes yielding elegant, stylish and original wines. The Winery, immersed in three hectares of oak woods is where the entire production cycle unfolds, from delicate crushing and stemming down to storage of the wine in controlled temperature cellars. The Aragonese-style entrance to the barrel cellar, also providing the logo and symbol of the Winery, made in granite, welcomes visitors wishing to learn about the development of our premium wines - in casks or tonneaux with capacities ranging between 2500 and 500 litres - and their maturation in the bottle.