Vin de Corse Figari is produced under the Vin de Corse appellation of Corsica, specifically from the villages at the southern tip of the island, between the communes of Monacia d'Aullene and Sartene. The generic Vin de Corse appellation is divided into a number of sub-regions, corresponding to five key viticultural areas: Porto-Vecchio, Sartene, Calvi, Cap Corse and Figari itself.
The Figari vineyards are located on the plains between the high Punta d'Ovace peak in the west and the low hills above Figari. It is here that the island's topography is at its most relaxed. The lower-lying land between Figari and Porto-Vecchio (and the fertile coastal plains further north) is where the majority of Corsica's agriculture is located.
Vin de Corse Figari wines are red, white and rose, with rose making up around half of the total output. Reds account for most of the remainder, but a small quantity of white wine is also produced.
The primary grape varieties used in the reds and roses are Grenache, Nielluccio and Sciaccarello, bolstered by the traditional Corsican varieties Aleatico, Barbarossa, Carcajolo Nero and Minustello (Graciano), along with Mourvedre, Cinsaut and Carignan from southern France. The whites are made from Vermentino, with a splash of Biancu Gentile and Ugni Blanc.
Corsica's climate is, of course, Mediterranean and sub-tropical; the island sits only a couple of degrees north of the 40th parallel. With higher sunshine levels than any part of mainland France (and correspondingly low rainfall), the growing season is well suited to productive viticulture; harvest conditions, in particular, are generally excellent. (© Proprietary Content, Wine-Searcher.) That said, the mountainous topography creates many varied mesoclimates, emphasizing and moderating the various climatic influences which result from the island's latitude, maritime location and altitude.
