Ile de Beauté is the evocative PGI title given to wines that come from Corsica. The island is located in the Mediterranean Sea between the southeast coast of Provence and the west coast of Tuscany. Although the island is closer to Italy, it has been under French rule since 1764 and is one of the 27 regions of France. Corsica's Italian heritage is reflected in the island's wines, which are made primarily from Sangiovese (known here as Nielluccio) and Vermentino.
The IGP Île de Beauté allows for a Long list of grape varieties, including a mix of traditional Corsican, Spanish, French and Italian varieties. There are very few other wine regions in the world where you can find Nielluccio, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo and Barbarossa in the same Vineyard. Chardonnay, brought to Corsica by the French, is often blended with Vermentino in IGP wines. (See the wine lists in our database below for a larger picture).
‘Por fin se ha hecho justicia.’ (Finally, justice has been served) This strongly-worded statement was made by the Denomination of Origin Utiel-Requena in Spain’s Autonomous Region of Valencia as part of a press announcement in July. It refers to a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that was fully ratified at the end of September, closing a decade-long conflict between the region’s three DOs that pitted Valencia against Utiel-Requena and Alicante. The latter two had demanded that grapes fro ...
Springtime brings the so-called ‘Caldaia di Maggio’ to Barolo, a noise similar to a kettle simmering that is caused by evaporating water in the soils. This year, however, it’s unlikely that this phenomenon will occur. Drought is affecting the entire north of Italy; predominantly the Langhe but also Valpolicella and Franciacorta. Not even Tuscany is spared. The vineyards are lacking the reserves of water that their soils usually contain at this time of year. Winter passed without snow in almost a ...
What kind of wine should you serve at a BBQ? With the weather (hopefully) on our side, there are few things better than a barbecue in the sunshine accompanied by a delicious glass of wine. Choosing a good bottle for your barbecue can really elevate the occasion, although for something a little less formal, there’s plenty to choose from in terms of canned or bag-in-box wines instead. Forget those days of washing down a burnt burger with warm Chardonnay or a ‘cooked’ red served in a plastic ...
