Nasco di Cagliari is a wine DOC of Sardinia, which centers around the town of Cagliari and the eponymous province of which it is the administrative center. It was introduced as a DOC in June 1972, at the same time as the other Cagliari varietal wines, Malvasia di Cagliari and Monica di Cagliari.
Nasco di Cagliari wines, which have been produced in the Cagliari province for centuries, are made exclusively from the Nasco grape variety. This was once known as Nascu, a name derived from the Latin word muscus (meaning musky) – a reference to the variety's unmistakable scent. Nasco shares this characteristic and the etymology with the Muscat family of vines; it is also thought to be one of the earliest grape varieties to make its way to Sardinia, and now grows almost exclusively on the calcareous soils in Cagliari.
Although Cagliari's name is borne by this DOC, the catchment area from which the grapes may come also extends into the Oristano province, more famously associated with Vernaccia di Oristano. This makes for quite a large production zone, covering a large proportion of Sardinia's southern half.
As with many Sardinian wines, there is a fortified version of Nasco di Cagliari identified by the mention liquoroso on the label. These wines are sweeter and higher in alcohol, typically reaching an alcoholic strength between 17.5% (the legal minimum) and 20% alcohol by volume. The sweet, flavorful wines are best matched to desserts, particularly those involving baked fruits. Even though the terms liquoroso and secco (dry) may seem mutually exclusive, there is also a secco version of these fortified wines.
Nasco di Cagliari is one of several DOCs covering specific varietal wine styles from Cagliari. There is now no single Cagliari DOC, but several varietal DOCs for which the grapes come exclusively from the Cagliari province: Giro di Cagliari, Malvasia di Cagliari, Monica di Cagliari, Moscato di Cagliari, Nuragus di Cagliari and Nasco di Cagliari itself.
