Ile de Beauté

According to the decree establishing the appellation, to be eligible for the Ile de Beauté PGI designation, wines must be made from grapes harvested in the departments of Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud. Ile de Beauté Vin de Pays is produced from terroirs as varied as the diversity of Corsica's soils allows. The climate is, of course, Mediterranean. The appellation's 3,150 hectares of vineyards produce around 200,000 hectoliters of wine annually. The wines of the Isle of Beauty from the Antoine Arena, Robert Skalli, and Yves Leccia estates stand out notably in this production.

The grape varieties authorized for the protected geographical indication Isle of Beauty are numerous and representative of the vines grown on the island: Aléatico, Barbarossa, Carignan, Ganson, Gramon, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre, Nielluccio, Portan, Tempranillo, Ugni, Vermentino, Biancu Gentile, Codivarta, Morrastel, as well as many other grape varieties commonly found on the mainland.

The wines of the Isle of Beauty can be divided into two types. Varietal wines are local wines sold under a brand name or estate name. Primeur wines, marketed from the third Thursday in October, express their taste qualities to the fullest for immediate consumption.