Grenache (Banyuls)

It's chocolate day today at Grape of the Day.

Let me explain. Getting ready to take off from tiny Marseille Airport (MRS for airport junkies), the fog was far too heavy. So, we decided to stay in Languedoc-Rousillon to sample one of the great wines of the area known by its Appellation d'origine Controllee (AOC) as Banyuls.

No, Banyuls is not a grape. In fact, it's a tiny little town on the Mediterranean not far from Andorra, Barcelona, or Monaco. So, this begins a multi-day exploration into wines that are Grenache-based.

Grenache as we will explore is one of the truly great grapes of the world. In fact, some of the most sought after wines among connoisseurs are Grenache-based, but very few say Grenache on the label.

Grenache Noir is, as the name implies, a very dark grape. It's naturally high in sugar content and has only a moderate tannin level. Among all grapes, it both ripens and harvests quite late, thus growing best in very hot areas.

Once picked in the little communes of the Banyuls AOC, the grapes go through a process known as mutage. While the must if going through the fermentation process, alcohol is added, thus killing the yeast and stopping further fermentation. This produces a wine, in the case of Banyuls, with an alcohol content by volume usually near 20%. After mutage, the wine is normally aged in barrels outside, rather than in caves, just as Madeira wines are. By law, the aging process must be at least 10 months, but many of the best Banyuls wines age considerably longer.

Opening opening the bottle, often in a 500 ml size, we get a blast of ultra-rich cake made with chocolate and raspberries perhaps infused with some herbs and white spices. It is as close to a perfect pairing with a chocolate dessert as you will ever find. And, because the wine is fortified, you don't have to finish the bottle the night you open it. A good Banyuls will allow you to have one slice of chocolate cake each night for a week or more while enjoying a single dessert-sized pour with it.

Enjoy all you chocoholics.


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