Banyuls wines come from the South-eastern Part of Roussillon, in the south of France, in the lower Pyrenees, a few kilometres from the Spanish border. These naturally Sweet wines are consumed both as an aperitif and as a dessert. They come in a wide range of hues, from GoldenGreen (Banyuls Blanc) to Amber (Banyuls Ambré) to the intense garnet of the standard Banyuls Rouge. Unusually among the natural sweet wines of France, all Banyuls wines are made primarily from Grenache grapes of various colors.
Muscat grapes (the mainstay of southern French sweet wines) are allowed, but only in very small proportions. Dark-skinned Grenache Noir is by far the dominant and preferred variety in Banyuls - it must make up at least 50% of the blend for red Banyuls (75% for Grand Cru wines). Pink-skinned Grenache Gris comes next, followed by Grenache Blanc and a host of other southern French varieties, including Mourvèdre, Carignan, Macabeu and Tourbat. As a sweet red wine made from Grenache, Banyuls is comparable to Maury, from the northern Roussillon, and Rasteau, from the southern Rhone Valley.
White muscat is a white grape variety of Greek origin. Present in several Mediterranean vineyards, it has several synonyms such as muscat de Die, muscat blanc and frontignac. In France, it occupies a little less than 7,000 ha out of a total of 45,000 ha worldwide. Its young shoots are downy. Its youngest leaves are shiny, bronzed and scabrous. The berries and bunches of this variety are all medium-sized. The flesh of the berries is juicy, sweet and firm. Muscat à petits grains has a second ripening period and buds early in the year. It is moderately vigorous and must be pruned short. It likes poor, stony slopes. This variety is often exposed to spring frosts. It fears mildew, wasps, grape worms, court-noué, grey rot and powdery mildew. Muscat à petits grains is used to make rosé wines and dry white wines. Orange, brown sugar, barley sugar and raisins are the known aromas of these wines.
natural sweet wines from the region of Banyuls go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, mature and hard cheese or spicy food such as recipes of beef strogonoff, chicken and curry lasagna or panga curry.
On the nose in the region of Banyuls often reveals types of flavors of cream, cherry or blackberry and sometimes also flavors of red fruit, tobacco or strawberries. In the mouth in the region of Banyuls is a powerful with a good balance between acidity and sweetness.
