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Vignerons Corsicans, a competitive union for free expression
Based in Borgo, on the east coast of Corsica, twenty kilometers south of Bastia, the Vignerons Corsicans have been part of the Corsican winegrowing landscape since 1975. Today, the group has established itself as a key partner in Corsica, and the Domaine wines produced by the group enjoy an undisputed reputation.
Meet a close-knit, highly motivated team!
Meet a close-knit, highly motivated team!
PRÉLUDE
Founded in 1975 in the cellars of La Marana, the Union des Vignerons du Levant (UVAL) has spanned the history of Corsican winegrowing and is now a genuine part of the island's heritage. The current chairmen are Jean Giacobbi, for Cave de la Marana, and Louis Semidei, for SICA UVAL. Since its creation, the group has marketed and promoted wines from near the coast. It also acts as an external purchasing, trading, negotiation and packaging platform. Since its creation, the Vignerons Corsicans have always been innovative. In the 1980s, when varietal wines were in the spotlight, the group took a pioneering role by introducing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, giving Corsican wines a presence on the international market! In 2010, a massive investment program was launched to promote Corsican grape varieties such as Niellucciu, Sciaccarellu and Vermentinu, as well as endemic varieties such as Biancu Gentile, Genovese and Minustellu. To stand out from the competition, the winemaking equipment has been adapted to the needs of the estates, so that the wines can be vinified by plot. The HVE (High Environmental Value) certification, validated in 2020, confirms the Vignerons Corsicans' commitment to a profound respect for the environment. In terms of production, packaging and logistics, the group is entirely organic. The group's winegrowers are also committed to a responsible approach. Some terroirs are certified organic, while others are in the process of obtaining CSR certification.
Franck Malassigné, Sales Director
Originally from Bordeaux, Franck Malassigné arrived in Corsica in 1999. His first professional experience was at the La Marana winery, where he learned about winemaking and Corsican grape varieties, before joining the sales team. From 2007 to 2011, he left to manage an 18-hectare estate in South Africa. He still remembers the Pinotage grape, with its overwhelming bitterness which was very hard to tame. He missed Corsica... Back in his beloved winery, he took on the big project of the Vignerons Corsicans, with the first steps towards developing the group. The aim was to make the technical structure available to winegrowers so they could create their own cuvées, personalise the vinification's and change the way people looked at a typically industrial production process. Several estates are currently benefitting from it, including Domaine de Lischetto, Domaine Marquiliani, Domaine Puntaloppia, Domaine Olivella, Villa Angeli and Clos Lucciardi. "Each winemaker finds his wine profile in his terroir and his personality. What's important above all is the human element, the choices made by the winemakers, respect for their way of doing things and the rigour of the blends," explains Franck Malassigné.
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Aparté with Pierre-Michel Tardy
Pierre-Michel Tardy has been in charge of the Vignerons Corsicans winery for four years. "I've always loved wine and the world of winemaking. After 20 years managing more than a dozen Casino shops in France and abroad, I wanted to take the Wine Set 2 and 3 certifications to feel even more at home in the world of wine," explains Pierre-Michel Tardy, who modestly heads up SICA UVAL, which now employs 25 people and produces between 40 and 45,000 hectoliters of wine. This volume has been boosted by the diversification and quality of the range, thanks to major investment in equipment. "To reinforce our strategy of offering increasingly top-of-the-range wines, we've updated our equipment's cooling units and bought new vat houses that are better suited to smaller vintages", explains the director, looking to the future. Today, the Vignerons Corsicans offer wines for distributors, such as the Terra Nostra cuvée in all three colours, as well as elitist wines such as the Riserva Nustrale cuvée, for restaurants and wine merchants. The winery works with thirty-seven cooperative members, including three private cellars: Domaines Villa Angeli, Marquiliani and Lucciardi. These are vinified separately, and their vats are sealed and leaded.
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The heart of the cellar
The inside of the cellar is divided into two distinct areas. In a silent atmosphere, where time seems to have stood still, the old concrete cellar is a place steeped in history, where the vats encased in white and red walls line up and face each other. In front, the winemaking equipment. Upstairs, the vinification area, with its stainless-steel world, pneumatic presses and vat room, boasts a modern, more rigorous design. The soul of the old cellar captivates the place, the timelessness of the amphorae confronting the modernity of stainless steel. The "Vignerons Corsicans" spirit shines through.
The experimental maturing cellar
The recluse is unexpected! Small, narrow, long, dark, damp and poorly lit, it is equipped with three polymer eggs, two 300-litre stoneware and ceramic amphorae, alongside imposing barrels, tuns and small vats. "Our teams are testing protocols for innovative research topics, starting with small volumes of five and ten liters. The vineyards are so scattered that they take advantage of several windows of ripeness for the same grape variety. After approval, they vinify ten hectoliters and then move on to larger volumes," explains Gaël Keck, the oenologist. "Our technical team is highly specialised and the 'Quality Master' is solid, which means we can develop research, analyse and refine the experimental aspect of the study, while respecting the purity of the terroirs! The 'Riserva Nustrale' vintages, aged in amphorae and tuns, are a good demonstration of this. The labels are intriguing because of the 'ephemeral' announcement of the cuvée, which adapts to the conditions of the vintage," he continues. Soon, a specially adapted ageing cellar will house the tuns, barrels, amphorae, eggs and other experimental containers!
Sparkling Muscat
Four sparkling cuvées are produced at the winery: Muscadellu and Muscadolce rosé and white. Their festive profiles are fruity, crisp, honeyed, well-balanced, carried by a lovely mineral tension and structured by a fine bitterness. The oenologist's focus here is on freshness. Each of these cuvées is fermented and foamed in two stages.
Vignerons Corsicans
Lieu-dit Rasignani, 20290 Borgo
Tel: 04 95 58 44 00 - www.corsicanwines.com
contact@corsicanwines.com
Domaine de Lischetto
After about fifty kilometers to the south, we stop off near Bravone on the land of Louis and Jean-Philippe Semidei, father and son of mixed farmers. "Both my grandfathers were winegrowers and now my son is taking over. At Domaine de Lischetto, we're all about passing on the torch," says Louis Semidei, President of UVAL. The site is stunning, with leafy vines stretching across the rolling hillsides that reach towards the mountains and the sea. The scrubland runs alongside the citrus orchards, with cows grazing below near the wooden shed where the orange and avocado trees are waiting to be transplanted. The 19-hectare plot is planted with rows of Vermentinu, Niellucciu and Sciaccarellu. The vineyard is divided into cooler areas that are good for rosé and white wines, and others that are better suited to reds for volume. "The Niellucciu has got off to a very good start, while the Vermentinu is a little behind schedule... Finally, the 2023 vintage is looking good," Jean-Philippe is delighted to report.
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Domaine Puntaloppia
In the Antisanti valley, deep in the maquis, lost in the heights, the splendid Domaine Puntaloppia, with its 15 hectares of vines rolling down the hillside, imposes its altitude of 180 metres. Bernard, Sylvain and Florent Marino, father and son, have been looking after it since 2017. All the work here is done by hand, as the slope is so dangerous. At its base are plantations of citrus fruits: clementines, blood oranges and lemons complement the green hues of the maquis. The HVE-certified vineyard is run using conventional integrated farming methods. "Gaël Keck monitors us and advises us on treatments adapted to the ecosystem," explains Bernard. The vineyard has two distinct exposures and soil types. At the bottom, facing south/south-east, the sandy loam soil dries very quickly, and ripening is rapid. On the ridge, the soil is a very slippery alluvial clay compound that retains water well. Planted with five hectares of Vermentinu, the vineyard is completed with Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah varieties. Already the recipient of numerous awards, the wines produced are jewels of freshness and aromatic expression.
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Sources Masterchef spécial Corse
