I don't think I tasted Corsican wines while I was in France.
I have noticed recently a buzz about wines from the Ile de Beaute as it's also called.
The most recent is New Corsican Producer (Inspiring Thirst, Kermit Lynch, December 16) on Domaine de Gioielli from Cap Corse.
They decided to import "two of his 2008s, a white made from Vermentinu and a Rosé (pictured below from Inspiring piece) made from Aleatico, Niellucciu, and about 10% Vermentinu (the Corsican spelling of Vermentino, or Rolle as it is known in France)."
At $28 they're not cheap but can't be found that easily.
If your French is OK you might want to check the Domaine de Gioielli site and the craft of its proud owner Michel Angeli.
Wine has been made on the island for centuries yet in more recent years there has been a switch from quantity to quality.
Domaine de Gioielli was mentioned by David Abram in his 2003 Rough Guide to Corsica.
It was actually for their Muscat which Jancis Robinson also included in her Some Top Muscats list.
I also got in contact with Domaine de Vaccelli run by the Courreges family.
I was especially interested in their Rosé Tradition (the 2009 Vintage has just been bottled).
Unfortunately their wines are not distributed in the US.
Want to know about their history, read The Domaine de Vaccelli: A wine that is part of Corsica (The Vine Route, November 09).
Rosemary Georges in Corsican wines; a well kept secret (Decanter, January 09) enlighten us.
Due to the Mediterranean location, she notes the main varietals are "Niellucio, one of the most important grapes, a variety thought to be a close cousin of Tuscany's Sangiovese. The principal white variety is Vermentino, which is also called Malvoisie and Sciacarello is a red unique to the island."
Feel free to share your own favorites if you tasted any of the proud creations from l'ile de beaute.
Off the beaten path wine trip...
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