L.N. Mattei Vermouth Cap Corse Rouge

Location: France, Corsica

Grapes: Vermentinu, Muscat à Petits Grains

Winemaking: all-mistelle base of Vermentinu/Muscat, fortified with cinchona bark, walnut, local and exotic spices

From the Importer Haus Alpenz: Cap Corse Rouge is among the most famous of French Quinquina, enjoyed for generations by visitors and residents of the Island of Corsica. The result is an aperitif of tremendous depth with a wonderfully dry finish.

In 1872, a merchant named Louis-Napoléon Mattei named his aperitif wine after his native Cap Corse, a peninsula of Corsica that juts northward into the Mediterranean. A territory of France, Corsica has over the centuries been influenced by both France and Italy, as well as northern Africa. Mattei discovered the beneficial properties of cinchona tree bark during a voyage to the Caribbean, and he brought it to Cap Corse to blend with local wine made from Muscat and Vermentinu grapes. He added spices that made their way through Cap Corse’s bustling port, as well as Cedrat (citron), a thick-peeled ancestor of lemon. Cap Corse Mattei Quinquina was soon exported across the globe.