Pantelleria Island, Italy
The Italian island of Pantelleria has long been famous for two alluring features: sun-dried capers and the intense sweetness of Passito wine made from Muscat grapes.
Gabrio Bini, a former architect from Milan, created the Zibibbo yellow label, aged in earthenware pots, for which his Azienda Agricola Seragghia brand became world-famous. The young couple Francesco and Nicoletta Ferreri from Tanca Nica also created the seductive rosé Firri Firri, a perfect blend of white and red grapes that makes a wonderful drink. Enjoying Firri Firri with ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and fresh sea urchin at their restaurant Osteria Il Principe e il Pirata is an experience not to be missed when visiting this famous European wine island.
Madeira Island, Portugal
Nestled against steep cliffs, the Fajã dos Padres organic orchard in Madeira is a wild beauty only accessible by boat or cable car. More than three centuries ago, grapes were grown here, but now they are replaced by tropical fruits such as mangoes and prickly pears.
The owners of Fajã dos Padres revived their fortified Malvasia wine from the 1980s, and the results are promising: a little drier than usual, but still a perfect aperitif. Pair it with fish, such as grilled bodião, a local specialty.
Tinos Island, Greece
Tinos Island, with its long history, rugged terrain and ancient vines, attracted Jérôme Charles Binda, a Parisian art broker, to settle here. Tinos is a gem of Greek tourism, dotted with white churches and the strange rock formations of the village of Falatados, which look like the remains of a battle between gods and giants in an ancient Greek epic. Since 2011, Binda has been producing Domaine de Kalathas wines from long-forgotten local grape varieties in a small, solar-powered winery.
If you have the opportunity to visit Tinos Island, don't forget to go to Exomeria restaurant in Isternia to enjoy fatty kariki cheese combined with the charming flavor of typical white wine.
Corsica Island, France
Corsica, a French island, has a Mediterranean climate with a continental climate, with snow in the winter and hot summers, making it ideal for growing wine grapes. The island has a variety of soils, including limestone, clay, volcanic, sandstone, and granite. The Mistral winds from the north and Sirocco winds from the south create picturesque landscapes. But nothing is more striking than the rolling hills of vineyards that make this island so unique.
Wine has been produced on Corsica since Phoenician times, and over the past 50 years, a seemingly forgotten wine culture has been revived. Vermentinu (also known as vermentino or rolle) and Nielluccio grapes are the main grape varieties on the island. Similar to the garrigue ingredients found in the south of France, the island’s natural wine-producing environments are filled with maquis, a mixture of herbs that impart aromas to the wines.
Muriel Giudicelli, a Corsican native who used to visit her native village for summers as a child and moved here officially in 1996, bought a small vineyard plot north of Patrimonio. Don’t miss the chance to enjoy a bottle of her Domaine Giudicelli wine with wild boar lasagna or roast pork, sourced from chestnut-fed black Nustrale pigs, on the terrace of the MaThyS restaurant in the nearby village of Saint-Florent.
