Arena, Patrimonio, Corsica
Winery Antoine Arena & Fils is considered by many to be the best producer in Corsica. Antoine Arena is the driving force behind the now-great reputation of Corsican wines. His sons Jean-Baptiste (JB) and Antoine-Marie have since joined him and each produce their own cuvées.
Arena has been farming the vineyards biodynamically for over 10 years. Everything is done with minimal intervention and as naturally as possible. Most wines are not fined or filtered, and are bottled with little to no added sulfites.
The vineyards are located in AOC Patrimonio, the only zone in Corsica with rocky, exclusively limestone soil — in the far north of the island. Arena makes impressive wines from rare Corsican grapes, including the white Bianco Gentile and the red Niellucciu (a relative of Sangiovese).
Style and aging
Most wines are aged in cement and stainless steel tanks — Arena rarely uses wooden barrels. White wines undergo a prolonged fermentation followed by full malolactic fermentation and are aged sur lie for 6 to 10 months. Red wines are often aged in tank for up to 2 years before bottling. Both white and red wines have great aging potential, but the white wines are already delicious to drink young.
