Wines from Corsica

Corsica - an island that is so beautiful, so rugged, so friendly and also so separate from France that sometimes you have to pinch yourself that you are not a castway on some island paradise. Beaches so staggeringly beautiful that they seem destined for a thousand holiday adverts. Situated south of Marseille, and connected to France by ferry, air and (sometimes) language, the wine regions of Corsica lie all around the coast, almost circling the high mountains of the interior like a lassoo. Local grapes such as Nielluccio (said to be related to Sangiovese) and Sciacarello are grown alongside familiar names such as Merlot, Grenache, Vermentino and Chardonnay. The wines are altogether fresh, the constant summer sun tempered by sea breezes, and the alcohol levels lower which gives these wines immense drinkability.