Vin de Corse (or simply "Corsica") is the Generic name for Corsica, an island located in the Mediterranean between France and Italy. Although much closer to the Italian coast - and separated from Sardinia only by the narrow Strait of Bonifacio - the island has been under French rule since 1769. The Vin de Corse appellation includes several sub-regions, corresponding to five major wine-producing areas of Corsica: Porto-Vecchio, Figari, Sartene, Calvi and Cap Corse. The other places, Patrimonio and Ajaccio, are also Part of the general catchment area of Vin de Corse, but have their own appellations since 1968 and 1984 respectively.
Vin de Corse wines are red, white and rosé, with the dominant colour being pink (as is the case in the closest continental wine region to Corsica, Provence). About half of the wine is rosé, a third is red and the rest is white, including a small amount of Sweet Vin Doux Naturel produced under the name Muscat du Cap Corse. The main Grape varieties used in the reds and rosés are Grenache, Sangiovese (known here as Nielluccio) and Sciaccarello. They are reinforced by the traditional Corsican varieties Aleatico, Barbarossa, CarcajoloNero and Minustello (Graciano) as well as Mourvedre, Cinsaut and Carignan from the South of France.
Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.
wines from the region of Vin de Corse go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or spicy food such as recipes of beef with cider, oven-baked lamb stew or chicken tikka massala.
On the nose in the region of Vin de Corse often reveals types of flavors of tree fruit, citrus fruit or cherry and sometimes also flavors of blackberry, non oak or earth. In the mouth in the region of Vin de Corse is a with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.
