The Perfect Wine with Chocolate
this Easter
By Proprietor Jane Walker
While varieties of port have long been popular to accompany desserts, Banyuls is still relatively little known. I think that’s a shame and hope this feature may help entice you to try it – either with our Trio of chocolates or at home with your favourite pralines.
Banyuls is produced in the south western corner of France, just north of the Spanish border, where it’s made from mainly old vines that are cultivated in terraces on the slopes of the Pyrenees. It’s been granted the French AOC (appellation d’origine controlee) certification for the red variety and the production area is restricted to four communities in the Cote Vermeille region, south of Perpignan: Cerbere, Collioure, Port-Vendres and Banyuls-sur-Mer, from which the wine takes its name.
This is a truly historic wine region – vintners claim that wines have been made in the area since it was ruled by the Greeks and the Phoenicians.
But enough about its origin, what about the taste? Banyuls is mainly made from Grenache Noir grapes, although sometimes Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc and Carignan grapes are also used. A new vintage is usually aged in oak for about eight years. The result is a sweet wine that is at the same time refreshing and crisp with notes of vanilla, cinnamon and oak.
The sweet taste is achieved through a fortification process invented in the 13th century by a Catalan doctor. He discovered that adding a neutral wine alcohol at a set point of fermentation would halt it and stabilise the wine, thus preserving the grape’s natural sugar without influencing any of the aromas. Over the centuries, the process was perfected and today wine makers can vary the sweetness of Banyuls depending on when they interrupt its fermentation – the earlier the sweeter.
According to oenologists, Banyuls is best paired with a dark chocolate with about 75% cocoa, preferably from Java or Madagascar. You’ll be able to find these on the shelves of your local grocery store, and what better excuse to have some friends over for wine and chocolate than to try out something new? Take a bite of your favourite chocolate, then sip on your glass of Banyuls and let the wine work its magic… and tell us what you think!
