So you prefer your pink from the south of France… but how far south have you ventured? All the way into the sea? The fourth largest island in the Mediterranean, Corsica lies southeast of the rosé saturated promenades of the Côte d’Azur. Though this mountainous landmass practically plants a baci on Italian Sardinia, it still retains a predominant Frenchness, including it is penchant for drinking, and making, pink wine.
John and I traveled to Corsica in 2019, part of our plan to check out all the major Mediterranean islands. We rolled our rental car off the ferry and straight up the coast, stopping at the first attractive village with a cluster of restaurants perched above the sea. Wind gently tousled my hair while I cut into a steak of local grilled tuna, as pink in the middle as the rosé in my glass. An hour into our holiday and things were already looking quite rosy.
As a wine producing region, Corsica is small. The wineries we stopped to taste at said that 90% of what they made stayed on Corsica and the other 10% went to the Continent. From South Africa to Slovenia, we have heard that story before. Small producers in small wine regions tend to keep the best for their own and what we get in the United States, if anything, is far from the best representation.
Which is all a long way of saying how excited I was to be checking out the new crop of rosés in my local wine shop the other week and finding a Corsican wine on offer! I was even more delighted to get home and discover the Clos Alivu Patrimonio was not some export swill, but a well-crafted bottle with a perfumed nose that immediately whisked me back to my island holiday.
As dry as the Corsican hills, this rosé beckons with a nose of wildflowers, bright berries and a whiff of the sea. Made with 100% Niellucciu, Corsica’s name for Sangiovese, this red grape is widely planted on Corsica thanks to its suitability for hot, dry climates. It makes for rustic, herbal red wine, but luckily for us, those herbaceous red fruit notes translate very well into a dry rosé.
For those of you who like your rosé the palest of the pale, cherry blossom pink, this is your wine. For those of you who like to dream of summer holidays lounging beside turquoise waters and bronzed French bodies, this is your wine. For those of you who enjoy your rosé with a platter of fruit de mer on ice or tuna niçoise salad or simply sipping poolside, this is your wine.
To Drink…
Clos Alivu Patrimonio Rosé, Corsica, France 2023
From $24.99 at Wine Connection in Del Mar and other online retailers
To eat…
I have long dreamed of owning a fresh bay leaf bush. If you have never smelled a fresh bay leaf, there is an ocean of distance between the taste of a fresh leaf, and the bag of brittle, dried leaves disintegrating at the back of the spice cupboard.
Living in apartments for much of the last decade and a half, I couldn’t keep so much as a basil plant alive. Now that we live in California full time, I have been diligently building up the herb kitchen garden. As I established pots of thyme, oregano and mint, bay leaves have never been far away from my thoughts. I even went so far as asking Chino Farms, supplier of premium specialty herbs to top restaurants, including bay leaf, if they ever sell the plants. They don’t.
You might imagine how thrilled I was when I found a single bush from Monrovia at my local Armstrong Garden Center. They told me they get a couple a year. I got it home, repotted it in a turquoise container and founder it the perfect sunny corner of the deck.
Luckily, I don’t have to wait for fall stews to enjoy the taste. My favorite way to prepare grilled tuna, adapted from Steven Raichlen’s The Barbecue Bible, is the perfect showcase. If you can’t get your hands on fresh bay, the dried kind will work too. But if you can, try the fresh leaf, it’s worth it.
Recipe
Grilled Tuna with Fresh Bay Leaves and Oregano
Serves 4
3 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup packed fresh basil leaves or 1 T. dried basil
2 tsp. fresh oregano leaves or 1 T. dried oregano
½ T. sea salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil
4 – 6 fresh or dried bay leaves
1.25 – 1.5 lb. fresh tuna steaks (2-3 steaks)
With a mortar and pestle or in a small blender or food processor, combine garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Crush until roughly combined. Add 1 to 2 T. olive oil until the mixture forms a spreadable paste.
Rinse tuna steaks and pat dry with paper towels. Lay out in a shallow dish and spread mixture to evenly cover each steak. Drizzle all over with ¼ cup olive oil. Tuck one bay leaf under each steak and place one on top of each steak. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Or, keep at room temperature for 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, preheat a grill over high. Oil the grill grate thoroughly. Brush marinade off of each tuna steak and blot dry.
Place tuna steaks over direct heat at a slight angle to achieve attractive grill marks. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side to achieve a medium rare pink.
I was in Sonoma last weekend on a long-planned girls’ trip. The weather was perfect. The wines and hospitality were fabulous. I’ve had a chance to share some old favorites with my friends while visiting a few places that I have been wanting to check out for a while. As some of you may be planning trips to wine country later this year, stay tuned for a few itineraries to take you through the best of Sonoma.