Moving beyond the label: Domaine Renucci Calvi 2005

And what it means to buy the wine enthusiast a good wine gift


When this site's Wine Label Week 1 ended last week, I had to go into overdrive at work. I neglected to post anything, but of course that would change when today my boss gifted me a bottle of wine -- Greek and white and made of grapes that I had never tried or even heard of before.

It's not obvious that a wineblogger would find it nice to be gifted wine at work.

Work is not a place I associate with wine or with winos. In my current office the closest I came to having a real wine conversion was several weeks ago with my boss who, reading about my interest in wine on the pages the Montreal Gazette, said: "I just like the wines that have those pretty crests embossed into the glass."

Luckily, my wine gift was not one with an insignia melded into the glass between the shoulders and the neck of the bottle.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. I do like plenty of those Loire and Rhône examples that my boss was referring to, but for different reasons. Regardless, it's very clear that the association between wine and its worthiness in your mind might not extend to the person you're buying for. This becomes the crucial idea in any exemplary act of gift-giving. You buy for the recipient, not for yourself. So, strange as it seems, wine has actually become the hardest of gifts for me to give.

Today's gift had none of that wine-bestowing awkwardness. And that's because I suspect my boss turned to one wino for advice on what to give to another. That's smart. I don't think any wine enthusiast wouldn't be thrilled to receive an inexpensive "discovery" bottle that's hard-to-find, unique, and from a new region and producer, which describes the Greek wine I received.

Since I haven't yet had the chance to look into my Greek bottle, I'm presenting to you here an equally unique wine that's from Corsica, which is a burgeoning wine region -- but still hard-to-find in your wine shop -- and an inexpensive way to discover new grapes (Sciaccarello!) and new producers. This is the Domaine Renucci Corse Calvi 2005 (click on the bottle shown at top for product details).

Oh, and just check out how that glass bottle upstages the wine label...


Indeed! In honour of today's gift-giver, this Domaine Renucci red wine comes with some nifty relief: an embossed band encircling the bottle and featuring the emblem of Corsica (the profile of a Moor's head, pictured above). And, what's more, turn around the bottle to find a rendering of the island of Corsica, which is just off the south of France in the Mediterranean Sea (look for the outlined island at the centre of the below photograph, which, since the wine was so inviting, I was able to shoot from the front of the emptying bottle... Dear Corsicans: sorry my reproduction ends up inverting the image of your homeland).

Eyes: A nice bright red colour with fuschia hues.

NB: This unfiltered wine is pas collé ou filtré but you notice that more in the mouth than to the eye. Mine didn't throw a lot of sediment.

Nose: Aroma is promising, not quite feisty but suggesting both fruit and mineral, spices and leather. A bit like an effervescent cream soda.

Mouth: Tantalizes the palate with freshness and some very nice tannins in a medium-bodied wine with a strong finish. This is by all means a lively wine, brambly and fun with a lot of mouthfeel. The flavour profile at first seems quite deep -- earthy tones coalescing into a root beer notes, black cherry with cream, hitting some fleeting high notes of caramelization, then it goes typical of the regional grape varieties of Corsica and delivers grenadine. Actually with the Renucci it's practically grenadine syrup. It's extracted, but expressive and still young. It may lack in acidity, and its candy flavours, though surely developing, are not too complex at this stage, and could become cloying as a result... I can't wait to try this wine when I reopen the leftovers.

Stomach: Since it's a 2005 wine and I guess that the caramel notes that are hinted at could blossom with time, you might want to eventually serve this with something exotic like a Cornish hen with a flavourful herb stuffing that highlights cumin or other earthy spices. It is current state, I'd play it lighter: have it with roast chicken in a mild peppercorn sauce, couscous and some root vegetables.

Berard Renucci, Feliceto, Corse, France. 13.5%.

Next post: A proper wrap-up of WLW 1

Is Terra di Corsica 2004 just more Mediterranean plonk?

Corsica has a reputation of "feeding its own" when it comes to its wine production. Translation: Corsican wine is not good enough to make it in today's competitive wine market. So it languishes in its homeland, poured from wicker bottle holders into the modest glasses of its countrymen and countrywomen. Or something like that. Cue soundtrack.

Though I've only had two types of A.O.C. Vin de Corse wines -- the two that the SAQ stock -- and a couple of lesser Corsican VDPS (vin de pays) wines, I really can't see what's holding these wines back. If you like a Chianti or a good French-style Syrah, you'll most likely like these.

It's almost always a combination of the Nielluccio grape variety -- a close relative of Sangiovese -- and Syrah that make up the blended red wines of Corsica. While that may be a general description of what you can expect from the French island off the coasts of France and Italy, the biggest hurdle to surmount is finding one.

Oh look, here's one! The Terra di Corsica Corse 2004 is an A.O.C. (Vin de) Corse example available at the SAQ (though the bottle may be plonk-shaped, don't let that fool you -- click on it for more). The Corse appellation requires the Nielluccio grape to be used heavily in the wines baring the A.O.C. designation. As I mentioned, expect a rounder type Sangiovese, the grape of Chianti fame. Then to the regional red grape, Syrah is added.

The resulting mix is great with food because it is light and quenching, juicy and savoury. Prune flavours offer depth and fruitiness. This wine drinks differently directly after the pour than it does just minutes later, which suggests a slight carbonation. I found it hard to distinguish this effervescence from the raspy acidity I was expecting.

Does it stand up to much scrutiny? Probably not. But the bottom line is that the stuff is a very pleasant wine to have around food.

It's a nice generic wine for everyday dinners. While most Corsican wines are traditionally enjoyed with local produce like guinea hens served in a sauce of myrtle, which is the predominant herb on the island, I had it with a stick-to-your-ribs endive salad overflowing with blue cheese and French-fried potatoes on the side from Au Pied de cochon.

Aléria, Corse, France. 12.5%.

New sensations for '06: Domaine de Torraccia Porto-Vecchio 2000

I thought I'd start out the new year on the right foot. I redesigned things a bit around here, especially the sidebar which now features an index of all my posts. This offers easy access to the topics I touch upon. Then for an inaugural review in 2006, there's the Domaine de Torraccia Corse Porto-Vecchio 2000. A rare and truly unique find and in fact the only wine sold in Quebec that carries the official Corsican appellation. This exotic specimen is composed mainly of the island's indigenous grapes. They are named Niellucciu and Sciaccarellu (please tell me how to pronounce them -- I wish I knew). In this bottle they are blended with Grenache and Syrah. So it makes for an interesting mix of traditional grapes and international varieties.

There's something resinated about this Porto-Vecchio and I noticed it immediately. It reminded me of Retsina, but please don't let that scare you away from an enchanting new thrill. It is also spicy, with light-to-medium body. It is made quite alluring by lots of nose and gentle tannins. Well-structured and a pleasure going down, it went beautifully with veal T-bone steak in a mushroom sauce, Brussels sprouts and red onion relish. I would say that it's a classic food wine. On the second night, I matched it with broiled pork chops done in lemon garlic and oregano. The overtones of resin seemed to add to the depth of the wine. Its zinginess didn't so much produce a flavour as it did mouthfeel.

This is by no means a full-bodied wine, but in my mind it's complex. The harmony of candied notes range from cinnamon to cream soda to lavender, and it also offers the mysterious myrtle. Or so I am lead to believe. Myrtle, which is new to me in 2006, is also known in the plant world as periwinkle. It imparts a flavour that is a cross between rosemary and bay leaf. The producer's webpage notes both their cuvée Oriu, another Porto-Vecchio red, and this one, by expounding at length about myrtle: Drinkers are encouraged to whip up a pigeon in a myrtle sauce if they want something to best accompany the wine. Maybe it's a Corsican thing but I was simply dumbstruck.

I find that when you don't know what an herb is or if you can't place a flavour, wines and the quaint descriptions on their labels can seem like they are from another planet, or at least an exotic far-off land, which I am sure Corsica is. The strange effect is amplified when the label translation shows signs of regional idioms. For example, pigeon, though a common French term, might be better worded in English as Cornish hen. More appetizing too. Myrtle then... what to say? Well, I guess in North America, that just conjures up images of the elderly woman who's a friend of your grandmother. But in the end, these are all foods and flavours that most people with any kind of sense of adventure could embrace and enjoy. As I said, this promises to be a wonderfully food-friendly wine, so no matter whether you've got the right fowl in the roasting pan, you'll likely react as I do: with amazement that there aren't more Corsican wines on the market. Especially those with the unique regional grapes called Niellucciu and Sciaccarellu. I can't imagine yummier flavours or a more alluring wine.

Lecci, Corse, France. 12.5%.