Collioure AOC - Grapes and Wine

Grapes and Wine

The primary grapes of the Collioure AOC are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre with Carignan and Cinsaut playing minor roles. The Mourvedre planted in Collioure is used almost exclusively for still wine production and is very rarely used in the production of Banyuls. The rose are produced mainly from the red wine grapes that have received very brief skin contact and maceration time or it maybe produced from a saignée method where some wine is "bleed off" from the fermenting vats of red wines before much of the color inducing phenolic compounds have taken hold. This method produces a more intensely flavored and darker colored red wine while at the same time producing a high quality rose. The whites are usually made from Grenache blanc. The red wines of the region are characterized by their rich, full bodied flavors with spice aroma notes.

As of 2008, there were an estimated 815 acres (330 hectares) of vineyards planted in the boundaries of the Collioure AOC. In 2002, the encépagement (or permitted grape components of the AOC wine) was changed which included permitting an AOC white wine for the first time. Today wines labeled Collioure AOC must contain at least a 60% blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre with no individual grape variety permitted to exceed 90% of the total blend. Cinsault and Carignan and allowed to up to a maximum of 30%. Prior to the 2002 AOC change, white wines produced from grapes grown in the Collioure region had to be sold as a vin de Pays. Today the AOC white blend must contain a minimum of 70% blend of Grenache blanc and Grenache gris with Macabeo, Malvoisie, Marsanne, Roussanne and Vermentino permitted to round out the remaining portion of the blend-though each of those grape varieties can not individually exceed 15%.

Over the years, the quality of wines produced in the Collioure AOC has been steadying increasing. Wine experts, such as Andre Domine point to the 1982 encépagement change that permitted the use of Syrah and Mourvedre as a turning point. Modern winemaking techniques have also introduced temperature controlled fermentation as well as increased usage of oak barrels for the aging of wine. The most well made reds of Collioure are described as having polished (or "soft") tannins, a full bodied and deep dark color with spicy aroma and flavor notes. The roses of the region can be very aromatic and usually have a raspberry color. They are traditionally paired with the local seafood. The whites can have a golden color and be very full bodied. They are usually consumed within 3 years of harvest.