📜 Collioure

Collioure is an appellation in the south of France in Roussillon, on the Mediterranean coast by the Pyrenees. It covers terraces above the sea around Collioure and Banyuls. The name is protected as a PDO.

The vineyards lie on very steep schist slopes. Terraces are held up by low stone walls, and work on them has to be done by hand. Summers are hot and dry and the wind often blows, so the vines grow at the limit. Dry red, rosé and white wines are made here. For reds, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan are used. The reds come out dark and rich, with notes of black berries, spice and dry herbs.

Nearby, the famous sweet Banyuls wines are made, but Collioure is a separate appellation for dry wines only. The old fishing town of Collioure attracted artists: Matisse and Derain worked here, one of the centres of Fauvism. The wines of this area go well with Catalan cuisine as well as fish and meat. Collioure is part of Roussillon and shows how sea and mountains together shape the taste of wine.

Vines grow on hand-worked terraces of brown Cambrian schist held by dry-stone walls, and over a third of them sit on slopes steeper than 50%. Red Collioure was recognised in 1971, rosé in 1991 and white only in 2003. Reds must contain at least 60% of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre together, while Carignan and Cinsault may each go up to 30%. Banyuls shares the same boundaries but covers the fortified sweet wines.