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.
Mainly cultivated in the Languedoc region, carignan originates from Spain. Because of its very resistant branches, it is often called hardwood. Its bunches are quite large. They are compact and winged with a lignified stalk. The berries are spherical in shape and take on a bluish-black colour. Carignan has a total of 25 approved clones, the best known of which are 274, 65 and 9. The carignan buds at the beginning of June and is protected from spring frosts. It does not reach maturity until the third period. Also, this grape variety needs warmth and sunshine. It appreciates dry and not very fertile soils. Carignan vines can live for more than 100 years. Those that are more than 30 years old produce a better wine. This wine is well coloured. It is generous and powerful at the same time. Pepper, cherry, blackberry, banana, raspberry, almond, prune and violet are some of the aromas that this grape variety gives off.
red 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 provencal stew, lamb garam massala or korma chicken (india).
Layers of colour in the sky before me: indigo, peach, salmon. In the rear-view mirror, the gold was catching fire. As I drove down through the lonely, Mistral-chilled vines of Babeau-Bouldoux towards nearby St-Chinian, I was thinking about what Christine Deleuze of Clos Bagatelle had just said. ‘When you came to visit 10 years ago,’ she reminded me, ‘you said we needed to wait another decade for a market breakthrough. Today you’ve said we need to wait another decade or two. So when, exactly, wil ...
Imagine you went to a restaurant and ordered what you thought was a modest Burgundy, but it tasted like a great Bordeaux. Would you be disappointed? Even if what I received was technically a better wine, I think I would be. After all, quality isn’t the overriding criteria when I select a bottle of wine to drink; most of all, I’m thirsting for a specific style. That’s why I’m sometimes wary when hearing about a change of direction in an appellation. Am I still going to find the wine I’m looking f ...
AXA Millésimes has expanded its footprint in California by purchasing Platt Vineyard on the western reaches of Sonoma Coast for an undisclosed sum. The French insurance giant’s wine division made its first foray into the Golden State when it bought Napa Valley winery Outpost back in 2018. Managing director Christian Seely has been on the hunt for a vineyard of similar quality to produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay ever since. AXA Millésimes jumped at the opportunity to snap up the 111-hectare Plat ...
