Banyuls
Banyuls is a wine region in southern France located near the Mediterranean Sea.
A well-known sweet wine (natural sweet wines) is produced in this region. The wines that are made are whole. The young wines look like port or madeira. In comparison, they do have a much lower alcohol content. The aroma and aroma of Banyuls wines have a wide spectrum: sun-dried fruits, cocoa, fig, red fruits, roasted coffee, candied fruits, mocha, tobacco, herbs, flowers and coffee. The wines of Banyuls display a very wide variety, depending on the duration of storage, the method of storage, the choice of grape varieties, the climate in a given harvest year, the soil and the method of vinification. The colors range from red, yellow to light or dark brown. In the case of rosé or white Banyuls, light wines or straw yellow colors can be found in young wines.
Requirements
Strict demands are placed on the wines in the AOC Banyuls. The alcohol percentage must be at least 15%. In addition, the must have a minimum sugar content of 252 grams per liter. The yield may yield a maximum of 30 hectoliters per hectare. The wines from Banyuls must also mature for at least 10 months in the cellar. In addition to the regular wines, Banyuls Grand Cru is also made. This wine must have been on wood for at least 30 months. A Grand Cru is only made in the peak years. The decree recognizes the following appellations: AOC Banyuls and AOC Banyuls Grand Cru for red, rosé and white.
Grapes
The wines from Banyuls consist of Grenache noir (at least 50% for Banyuls and at least 75% for Banyuls Grand Cru), supplemented with Cinsault, Syrah and Carignan. For the white wine, the grape varieties macabeu, grenache blanc, grenache gris, malvoisie, muscat à petits grains and muscat d’alexandrie are used.
Vinification
Vinification, which can be oxidative or reductive, often involves maceration pellicular, followed by pressing. To achieve a certain degree of sweetness, fermentation is stopped by adding alcohol to around 15%. By varying the time of adding alcohol, wines with different degrees of sweetness are created. The resulting wines can be stored in oak barrels or in large glass belly bottles. If there is a vintage wine (from one harvest year), then maceration and extraction takes place for a long time and after 6-12 months stay in oak barrels. The wine usually consists of 100% grenache noir and is then stored in the cellars for many years. If the label bears the name Rimage, the wine comes from a very good harvest year.
In the vineyard
Banyuls has a warm climate and has 250 days of sunshine. In addition, a warm wind blows along the coast. The vineyards are very steep and sometimes up to 750 meters above sea level.