Vetriccie Rose ile de Beaute

It always amazes me when I come across something from Corsica (albeit, not very often), how I have to relearn that Corsica is FRENCH. In the middle of the Mediterranean, a stone’s throw away from Sardinia, and closer to Italy no matter what bird is making the trip; it’s true - Corsica is French! And it's the birthplace of Napoleon. Apparently they have their own separatist movement as well … but those are all stories for another time. 

Today’s little fable revolves around this delicious Rosé from Domaine Vetriccie. And you guessed it, Vetriccie is on Corisca in the little hamlet of Aghione. Founded in 1966, it’s right in the heartland of Corsica, right next to the mountains which give the wine a high-altitude freshness, and the sea, which draws in its salty minerality. Daniel Barcelo is the current scion of the founding family, and he chose the name of this wine to reflect his land - Vetriccie is a type of indigenous withe (a small pliable plant that looks like wicker) and Ile de Beaute is “that of beauty”. And this wine, truly is a beauty.

Here, drinking the wine itself, you get the beautiful cross-cultural associations between Italy and France. (Hang on, this is gonna get a little confusing but the final taste is worth it!) The main grape in this wine is Nielluccio, which you’ve probably never heard of, but it’s the Corsican way of saying Sangiovese, which you probably have heard of. Sangiovese brings the flavors of ripe cranberries, strawberries, and a bit of red-currant crunch and zesty liveliness to the wine.

The next major grape is Sciaccerello, which once upon a time played a major role in Tuscan winemaking, under the moniker Mammolo. Here, it brings a beautiful violet perfume to the wine, lifting up the fruit character from the Nielluccio and gracefully accenting it. Grenache, important and almost dominant in all French Roses, came to Corsica only recently. Originally, Corsicans probably used the high-yielding varieties of Cinsault or Carignan in their blends. But by the 1960s, Grenache was found to be a much higher-quality blending partner, offering a sense of rounded fruit character with a bit of richness.

The end result is a gorgeous combination of freshness, vivid fruit character, a dusting of sea spray - pure and delicious as a cocktail but simply magical with all Mediterranean cuisines, be they French or Italian.