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Discover ...
The Corsican Wines with
The Wine "List"
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Vines not like the others
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The Corsican Vineyards is lucky to have more than thirty typical vines among
which there are 3 great noble types of vines, base of the labels of Corsica
:
For the red and rosé wines, Niellucciu and Sciaccarellu (or schiuchitajolu,
literally "which is crunchy to eat")
For the great white wines the Vermentinu or Malmsey wine of Corsica.
To know More about the Wines ( Geology, Vines,...)
Presentation of the Labels Guaranteeing the Quality of Wine of Corsica
- Hills of Ajaccio
- Ajaccio has become an independent label in 1984. Until then we said Hills
of Ajaccio. It is indeed hills, and we could even say mountains. In this immense
"area" of label the vineyards storm the highest groups of vineyards
of Corsica.
Besides this record of altitude, this "area" of label has the honor
of welcome and maybe to have seen the birth of a specific type of vine, of
a high quality and with an affirmed character: the Sciacarello.
- Patrimonio
- The Patrimonio won an international renown ages ago. that is why in 1968
yet, the 13th March, the National Institute of the Label Guaranteeing the
Quality of Wine listed it in the "Gotha" of the wines of label (AOC).
It owes its quality to the climate of a region well sheltered from the winds
by the surrounding mountains, to soils of masses of fallen chalky rocks mingled
with clay, to the Nielluccio (above all), to the Vermentino, and to the affirmed
know-how of the very numerous wine growers whose vineyards are "overlaped".
- Cap Corse
- The north extremety of the Isle, almost a supplement to Corsica, a peninsula,
" we should say a cape"...The region of the Cap Corse is the first
we can see by arriving by plane from the Mainland. If the plane lands in Bastia
we can see the fiew coastal vines and we see well enough the new vineyards
which face the Finocchiarola Isle.
The Cap Corse never at any time enjoyed the mania for planting and so never
was a victim of the obsessive fear of the pulling up. We have to admit that
almost all had been pulled up in the first half of the 20th century, it is
besides a pity and almost mysterious. In the 19th century we counted thousands
of hectares of vine, 4000 hectares in 1860 (or 1500 according to other sources).
We convert into wine there famous Muscatels, Rappu appreciated and wines
full of personality. We find there traditional vines and the Aleatico and
the Codivarta which is admitted in the label of Wine of Corse-Coteaux of the
Corsican Cape.
The technique of the "passerillage" (which consists in making dry
grapes in the sun to make white wine), of the dessication on flat stones called
"lauzes" in the sun has still the place of honor. A mere or less
similar process produce in other regions straw wines very much sought-after.
The white wines, whether they are sweet or dry, are always remarkable.
- Calvi
- We say wine of Corse-Calvi, for we have chosen the name of the town known
of all (The Admiral Nelson lost his eye there), rather than the name of Balagne
which would have had the advantage of being exacter and of better reflecting
the area of label. It has been said that this region was the Tuscany of Corsica,
impression which dims as soon as we get away from the littoral where the abrupt
roughness came back in the landscape. The steep vineyards do not exist anymore.
We mainly find them in a plain - or a valley - which is alluvial. The Figarella
flows in this plain which welcomes the airport of Calvi (Sainte-Catherine).
In an other valley, also covered with vines, the Regino flows. The vineyards
of the sides of this valley cover the soils with granite which has been turned
into sand.
- Sartenais
- Where stops the Ajaccio area of label whose south boundary is marked by
the Taravo river (save a small overhang upstream) begins the Label Guaranteeing
the Quality of Wine, Wine of Corse-Sartène which ends in the surroundings
of the Lion of Roccapina.
The north of the area of label is more traditional than the south, the valley
of Ortolo beginning from the very end of the 19th century a mere advanced
wine growing.
From 1968 (decree of the 16th March) this region was distinguished by the
label VDQS moved into Label Guaranteeing the Quality of Wine in 1976.
- Figari
- Despite the appearances, here the vines the most in the south of Corsica
grow, for there is no vines towards Bonifacio (which besides belongs to the
label of Corse-Porto-Vecchio). The wind rushes by the gulf of Figari and blows
on the half- alluvial, half-granitic plain, part of Figari, dry and hot, very
favorable to red types of vine. Unfortunately the bonus for the uprooting
have reduced and still reduce (1989) the surface area of a vineyard which,
on the contrary, had and has the necessary space to strech.
- Porto-Vecchio
- We must not beleive what the decree of label let suppose, a vineyard which
develops itself on mere than 55 kilometers in a linear way. Only two growers
defend the winy banner of Porto-Vecchio, both exercising their art in the
town of Lecci. It even sometimes happens that one of them do not make his
wine labelled (for AOC, Label Guaranteeing the Quality of Wine).
This solitude is all the more unfortunate that this region conceals several
types of soils which are very favorable to vine : limestone in the south,
strongly sandy granite followed by "easier" lands, marly gneiss.
- Eastern Coast
- This plain, the unique of the Isle, streches from the south of Bastia to
Solenzara on about 80 kilometers. It is there that from 1960 we have created
the vastest vineyards covered with productive vines, without great character.
It is also there that we have the more uprooted and that the restructuring
plans are the most ambitious. Recent alluvial deposits, sandy marls, tuff
and deposits of the quaternary contribute to the richness of a region destined
to the mechanized cultivation. Big cooperatives treat the grape and convert
into wine according to the modernest processes thanks to equipments which
are technologically advanced.
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