What a wonderful thing coincidence is! This is especially so when a wine merchant arrives at your door uninvited carrying some of the best wines of France in his briefcase and offering a free wine tasting opportunity. It was day four of the cooking course and one of our students had just asked our chef and sommelier, Poul, minutes earlier, whether he ever offered wine tasting sessions! Romain arrived in the door just as the question had been asked and gave us a delightful introduction to some of the extraordinary wines of the Roussillon region. This area, close to Spain, with long hours of sunshine and a unique earth, was recognised by Greeks, Romans and Knights Templar as excellent for wines long before the French categorised the wines of Banyuls in 1936 when it was certified by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine Contrôlée (INAO), making Banyuls a controlled origin appellation. Cellier des Templiers offers a broad range of fine wines: 19 Banyuls and Banyuls Grand Cru, 15 Collioure wines and one fine Banyuls Vinegar. Whether you’re a wine professional or simply a wine enthusiast, you’re sure to find something to suit your taste. We certainly did starting with a deliciously rich rosé wine and working our way through to the sweet stront reds for which Banyuls have become world famous.
Banyuls and Collioure wines are forged by the sea, mountains, sun and wind and are, above all, wines for pleasure. Exposed to a generous climate, the vines yield expressive, consummate wines that are rich, powerful, elegant and distinguished. They express all the warmth of the sun and the ruggedness of the schistose soils through the grape that reigns supreme in this region, Grenache.
Step inside the world of the fine wines of Banyuls and Collioure.
BANYULS
What a striking contrast between this environment, which seems to endure so much, and the generous, rich and powerful wines of Banyuls and Banyuls Grands Crus.
Famous for their aromatic richness and their palette of colours, which evolve during a patient ageing in old wooden tuns or oak barrels, the Grands Vins de Banyuls and Banyuls Grands Crus are above all wines for pleasure.
AOC Banyuls (1936) and Banyuls Grands Crus (1962):
Production area defined by the 4 communes of the Côte Vemeille: Collioure, Port-Vendres, Banyuls and Cerbère.
Principal grape-varieties: Grenache Noir, a minimum of 50% for the Banyuls and 75% for the Banyuls Grand Cru; Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Maccabeu, Malvoisie and Muscat.
Complementary grape-varieties: Carignan, Cinsault, Syrah.
Yield: limited to 30 hl per hectare.
Fortification with neutral wine alcohol, not exceeding 10% of the must volume.
Ageing: a minimum of 10 months for the Banyuls and 30 months for the Banyuls Grands Crus.
Fortification (Mutage)
In the middle of the 13th Century, Arnau de Villanova, a Catalan doctor, invented the principle of fortification with a neutral wine alcohol in order to stop the fermentation and stabilise the wines. In this way, part of the natural sugar of the grape is preserved without modifying the aromas. The earlier the fortification takes place, the greater the natural sweetness of the wine.
COLLIOURE
The wines of Collioure are born on this terroir, from the marriage between the mineral character of the schist and the strength of the fruit.
The dominant grape-variety, the Grenache Noir, is combined with Syrah, Mourvèdre or Carignan, according to the domain. The richness of the aromatic palette depends on this alchemy.
AC Collioure Rouge (1971) and Rosé (1991):
Production area defined by the 4 communes of the Côte Vemeille: Collioure,http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Port-Vendres, Banyuls and Cerbère.
Principal grape-varieties: Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre and Syrah.
Complementary grape-varieties: Carignan, Cinsault (a very low percentage).http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Yield: limited to 40 hl per hectare.
AC Collioure Blanc (février 2003)
Same production area as the AOC Collioure.
Principal grape-varieties: Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc.
Complementary grape-varieties: Roussanne, Marsanne and Vermentino.
Yield: limited to 40 hl per hectare.
You may contact Romain via his email through the cooking school website or just ask us and we will let you have his number. More info on www.banyuls.com
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