Banyuls AOC

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Banyuls vine on shale

Banyuls (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) is a fortified aperitif or dessert wine made from old vines cultivated in terraces on the slopes of the Pyrenees in the Roussillon (Northern Catalonia) wine region of Southern France, which borders Southern Catalonia in Spain.

The AOC production area is limited to four communes of the Côte Vermeille: Banyuls-sur-Mer (from which the AOC takes its name), Cerbère, Collioure and Port-Vendres.

Most wines are red, although some white wines are produced. Permitted grape varieties are Grenache Noir (at least 50%, 75% for the Grand Cru), Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc and Carignan, and also (but rarely used) Macabeu, Muscat and Malvoisie.

The production process, known in France as mutage, is similar to that used to make Port. Alcohol is added to the must to halt fermentation while sugar levels are still high, preserving the natural sugar of the grape. The wines are then matured in oak barrels, or outside in glass bottles exposed to the sun, allowing the wine to maderise. The maturation period is a minimum of ten months for Banyuls AOC, and thirty months for Banyuls Grand Cru AOC. The resulting wine bears a similarity to port but tends to be lower in alcohol (~16% vs. ~20%).

Other sweet wines produced in the Eastern Pyrenees include Maury, Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes.