The 2023 vintage has brought immense joy to three distinct wine regions: Champagne, Cognac, and Corsica. On the picturesque island of Corsica, there is a buzz about an "exceptionally abundant harvest," as delightfully exclaimed by Nathalie Uscidda, Director of the Center for Insular Viticultural Research (CRVI). A remarkable 400,000 hectoliters of wine (=533 million bottles) have been processed in both Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud. 

The rainy spring proved to be quite favorable, resulting in a generous grape harvest and sparing the vines from nitrogen deficiencies. "The vintners adeptly managed the health challenges and reaped a harvest of remarkably robust grapes," Nathalie Uscidda emphasized. Charlotte Lemonnier from the Comte Peraldi estate chimed in, confirming, "We swiftly tackled the minor bouts of downy mildew." Following 40 days of diligent harvesting, she calculated an average yield of nearly 38 hl/ha, spread across 50 hectares (123 acres) ranging from Ajaccio to Sartène. She expressed her delight, stating, "It surpasses the years prior." 

Charlotte Lemonnier could have achieved even more, were it not for sporadic rain showers that could have halted cicadas from damaging leaves. "Toward the end of August, despite our applications of black soap, it inflicted significant harm on the foliage and the photosynthetic process." Much like her, cicadas left numerous winegrowers perplexed. Nathalie Uscidda confirmed, "We observed damage throughout the entire Corsican vineyard." In some of her vineyards, Charlotte Lemonnier had to wait for an extended period for the grapes to reach optimal ripeness. She concluded, "By the end of September, I finally instructed my harvesters to meticulously sort and pick only the grapes suitable for consumption." 

Wines showing great potential.