This wine offers tremendous QPR, and a minerality…uncommon at its price point…It paired beautifully with our meal!

This month our  French Winophiles  blogging group takes a virtual trip to the “Scented Isle” of Corsica, which is also known as Corse.

Corsica, a mountainous island covered in vineyard, is located in the Mediterranean Sea between the southeast coast of Provence and the west coast of Tuscany.  While closer to Italy in proximity and history,  it has been under French rule since 1769 and is counted among the 26 regions of France. Ironically 1769 is the same year Corsica’s  most famous son, Napoleon Bonaparte was born.

French is the official language, but most Corsicans also speak a dialect akin to Italian, and the island’s cuisine and conversation reflect its dual heritage.

Visually, Corsica’s maritime-mountain confluence is reminiscent of Spain’s San Sebastián or Portugal’s Azorean isles, while portions of the southeast are not unlike the Santa Rita Hills of California—with sparse back road traffic, sleepy ranches and a sense of ample space and time.

“Corsica’s nine wine appellations also include varied soils—generally granitic in the west, including schist to the north and east, and predominantly limestone in both the northwest and south. An additional unique factor that impacts Corsica’s vine terroir is a range of scented vegetation. About a fifth of the island is covered by wild scrub known as the maquis.  (Source) 

I enjoyed this description of maquis:

Imagine standing on a fragrant hillside surrounded by eucalyptus, juniper, laurel, rosemary, highly scented shrubs of the rock rose family, heather, myrtle, sage, mint, thyme and lavender. Add to that more than a dozen aromatic flowers that grow only in Corsica and you’ll get an idea of the heady, clean aroma that infuses the island’s air. Sibylle Hechtel – Mother Earth Living

 

It is one of the great, off-the-radar regions for wine production. The island is home to a mix of Italian and French grapes, typically planted at high elevations.  Niellucciu,  Sciacarellu, and Vermentino, which originated in Italy are the main grape varieties of Corsica, and account for about two thirds of all Corsican wines produced.   But classic southern French grapes  are also  present to some extent; Grenache is a primary ingredient in many Corsican red wines and Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsaut and Carignan all play a variety of supporting role.

Corsica’s key wine districts, distributed neatly down the western side of the long, thin island, are Ajaccio, Patrimonio, Calvi, Sartene and Figari. The last four of these are viticultural sub-regions of the island’s regional Vin de Corse appellation. They are joined by Porto-Vecchio in the southeast and Coteaux du Cap Corse on the northern Cap Corse peninsula. The Cap Corse vineyards also make sweet, white vin doux naturel under the title Muscat du Cap Corse according to WineSearcher.com.

The Wine

Domaine Petroni is 100ha vineyard estate on the eastern side of Corsica near Lake Diane. Lake Diane is a famous lagoon, where the local aquaculture produces gorgeous oysters and mussels. Now run by the Ramazotti brothers, this idyllic location overlooks the Mediterranean with its vineyards composed of decomposed granitic sand and clay soils.  Their vineyards are planted to Niellucciu, Sciaccarellu, Grenache, and Vermention (a.k.a. Rolle).  

Niellucciu, which was originally brought to Corsica from Pisa in the 12th century, and is genetically related to  Sangiovese. Sciaccarellu, is likewise genetically linked to an ancient aromatic grape first grown in Tuscany,  Mammolo,  which is known for its memorable scent of ‘viola mammola’, or violets.

This wine is a blend of Blend of 50% Niellucciu (Sangiovese), 35% Sciaccarellu (Mammolo), and 15% Grenache with an average age of 25 years.

My Tasting Notes Follow:

Color – Pale Salmon
Aromas – An intriguing blend of red fruit, stone fruit, floral, dried savory herbs and wild scrubs (could it be the native wild maqui?)
Body – Medium-bodied with fresh, zesty acidity and supple mouthfeel.  Nicely balanced.
Taste – Cherry, raspberry, nectarine, white peach, savory spice and an appealing saline minerality
Finish – Medium

12.5% abv|SRP – $14

This wine offers tremendous QPR, and a minerality (which I adore) uncommon at its price point  I’d buy more in a heartbeat!  It paired beautifully with our meal!

The Food And Wine Pairing

Our menu was (mostly) locally sourced.  We picked up some very fresh Herbes de Provence Chevre (The cheese-maker had literally just brought it in to be refrigerated) from a local farmstead, which we used to make Caprese-style salad with tomatoes and basil from our garden drizzled with some local olive oil.

Inspired by this recipe for Mixiote de Pescado (Branzino Wrapped In Banana Leaves),  fired up the grill!  We stuffed branzino with lemongrass, green onion, calamansi,  and Italian parsley from our garden, and the seasoned the cavity with Kiawe smoked salt, pepper, and garlic pepper.

The results were remarkably delicious!  The fish well seasoned, and was melt-in-your mouth tender!  And I think I prefer goat to mozzarella for my Caprese salad!  The wine paired beautifully with our meal, especially the Goat Cheese Caprese!

Be sure to check out what my fellow French Winophiles discovered during their virtual visit to Corsica!

• Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Friday Night Pizzas + Domaine Poli Niellucciu Rosé 2018”
• Cathie from Side Hustle Wino shares “Wines from Corsica? Of “Corse”  (#winophiles)”
• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Corsica – An Island and it’s wines #Winophiles”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Spaghetti and meatballs for a Corsican wine (#Winophiles)”
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares Corsica Rose with Salmon Crespelle and Currant Clafoutis #Winophiles
• Payal at Keep the Peas shares “Corsica: The Maquis, The Mountains, The Sea (#winophiles)”
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Corsica; French with a lot of Italian Influence”
• Cindy from Grape Experiences shares “Drench Yourself in the Sunshine of Corsica with Domaine Petroni Rosé Corse 2018 and Provençal Vegetable Gratin“
• Nicole at Somm’s Table shares “Corsican Happiness: Domaine Giacometti Sempre Cuntentu Sciaccarellu with a Flavorful Seafood Stew”

If you’re up early enough,  we love visitors!  Please join our #Winophiles chat about Corsica on 21 September at 8 AM PST on Twitter.  To join the Twitter chat, search for the hashtag #winophiles and jump in!

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