Louis Napoléon Mattei was born in 1849, in Cap Corse, a peninsula of Corsica that juts northward into the Mediterranean. Cap Corse was the first wine region on Corsica and is known for its grapes of particularly high quality. It also took over the growth of Cedrat (citron), a thick-peeled ancestor of lemon that was widely exported at the time. A territory of France, the island of Corsica has over the centuries been influenced by both France and Italy, as well as northern Africa. Mattei started his company in 1872, while still very young. He had discovered the beneficial properties of cinchona tree bark during a voyage to the Caribbean, and was inspired to create a cinchona drink to which he would give the name of his region. 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. Cap Corse Mattei Quinquina was soon exported across the world. By inventing an aperitif wine recipe based on cinchona and other meticulously proportioned ingredients, he made himself truly known. It is thanks to his business sense and his ideas worthy of a great visionary, as well as the succession provided by his nephew, François Mattei, that the name of Louis Napoléon Mattei, his brand and his products, have survived more than 100 years after his death.