Beers and Brocciu, Lagoons and Liqueurs

Xavier Baldovini is a traditional cheesemaker who produces a range of award-winning fresh and ripened sheep and goats’ cheeses. The dairy is open until 1pm for cheese tasting and a free tour. When you visit, you should try Corsica’s most famous cheese - Brocciu. This is a creamy soft cheese that is eaten fresh, usually after a meal. It is also a key ingredient of several traditional Corsican dishes including ‘fiadone’, a custard-like, lemony cake. Also worth trying is the ‘casgiu merzu’ a cheese paste, made from refermented peeled and milled old cheese. It tastes nicer than it sounds!
Note that tours are only available from November to June as there is no dairy production during the hottest summer months but the shop is open all year.

Pierre Pastre is a shellfish producer with a farm on Diana lagoon. At the main house there is a small restaurant overlooking the lagoon where you can order platters of oysters, moules mariniere or grilled prawns, all fresh from the sea and served with crusty bread and mayo - washed down with a chilled glass of local wine.
Note the restaurant is closed on Sundays and on Saturdays at 12.

The Diana lagoon was used as a port by the ancient Greeks, and then the Romans, who farmed oysters here then salted and packed them in giant amphorae (clay vessels) for shipping to Rome. Over the centuries, the volume of discarded shells created tiny islets in the lagoon that you can see today. The lagoon covers 570 hectares, making it the third largest in Corsica, and the deepest, at 11 metres. It is a protected wetlands area and is home to numerous waders and shorebirds.
From here, you can do a 1-hour circular walk out to the 16th Century Genoese tower and back, with time for a refreshing swim at the end. Diana tower is one of many defensive towers that you’ll see around the island’s coastline. The tower guards would send a signal (by lighting a fire) to neighbouring towers whenever a pirate ship was sighted, altering everyone of the approaching danger.
The views from here are gorgeous and there are plenty of bird species to spot along the way including great cormorants, mallards, coots and Eurasian wigeons.

Domaine Mavela is an artisanal distillery that produces whiskeys and fruit liqueurs. The distillery was set up to celebrate, and give economic value, to the wealth of fruits that are grown on the island. Everything is done by hand, from harvesting to maceration and distillation. Production is also spread out across the year: from May to June for raspberries, July to August for pears and grapes, September for plums, October for chestnuts, November for citron and December for myrtle. From its ‘fruity’ beginnings, the distillery has since diversified into whiskey and is now producing award-winning malt whiskeys, as well as fruit ‘brandies’.
Note the distillery is closed on Sundays.
Tours are available in July, August and September only.

Maison de la Vigne is essentially a micro-brewery with rooms. Established in 2020, the business produces around two new crafts beers a month including blondes and IPAs. As part of your stay here, you’ll get to learn about, try and buy some of their beers. The meals here are also special, ranging from home-made jams with breakfast to traditional Corsican dishes using regional products, such as chestnut flour and myrtle, for dinner.
Book your dinner and accommodation online here.