Banyuls AOC

Banyuls (French pronunciation: [baɲuls]) is a French appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for a fortified apéritif or dessert wine made from old vines cultivated in terraces on the slopes of the Catalan Pyrenees in the Roussillon county of France, bordering, to the south, the Empordà wine region in Catalonia in Spain. It belongs to a category of vin doux naturel, a type of fortified wine in which fermentation is stopped by the addition of alcohol, preserving natural grape sugars. Reports have noted that demand for vin doux naturel wines has declined in recent years, contributing to lower production levels in Roussillon’s fortified-wine category which includes Banyuls. The AOC production area is limited to four communes of the Côte Vermeille: Banyuls (from which the AOC takes its name), Cerbère, Collioure and Port-Vendres. The boundaries of the AOC are identical to those of the Collioure AOC. The name Banyuls is also protected as a wine Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) in the United Kingdom geographical indications register, with an original EU registration date of 18 September 1973. Banyuls Grand Cru is an AOC for superior wines that would otherwise be classified as simply Banyuls. They must be matured for 30 months. The grapes permitted are the same.