Antoine Guelfucci, farmer
Hello Antoine, thank you for welcoming us at the height of the grape harvest. We're here on your family estate, near this beautiful building.
The farm has come a long way over the years. I've been a farmer for 28 years, and when my wife moved here with me in 1998, we set up new projects together, to exploit the potential of the estate, where we could "transform" the products.
The lambs served in the Ferme-Auberge, the vegetables too, and the fruit trees used to make jam.
Then the wine to accompany all our dishes. Diversity means always creating more, and our children are also keen to continue, to evolve, to find their own place, and my daughter even wants to become an oenologist!
Is a B&B a good way of offering that famous Corsican hospitality?
It's a double experience. The guest gets to know the place, and we get to know the person. When someone arrives at someone's home, there's bound to be some sharing. And conviviality.
For me, Corsican hospitality is a big word. Hospitality is shared and reciprocated. And it can't be bought for money.
There has to be a desire to give and to receive. You can't give to someone who isn't receiving. To discover a tradition, you have to have your own. It's a sort of clash of cultures, but you can't be closed off to other cultures. It's not a confrontation, it's the opposite, it's still a sharing, where everyone takes a part.
Precisely why this Casa Guelfucci wine?
It's been a passion of mine for a very long time. You should know that 80 years ago, Corte had the largest number of hectares of vines. Unfortunately, they've now disappeared. There were vines here in 1917, and it was my duty to bring the estate back to its original state. My wife is also passionate about endemic Corsican grape varieties. The red wine that accompanies dishes in sauce is not the same as the white served as an aperitif, nor the rosé that refreshes in summer.
Any secret addresses you'd like to share with us?
Ah, but it all depends on the season! Holidaymakers aren't all looking for the same place or the same product. Corsica is made up of micro-regions, where you'll find lots of good addresses.
