Banyuls: A Unique Wine in a Unique Mediterranean Climate

Collioure has a unique climate—a Mediterranean coastal climate made even more exceptional by the terraced topography. People often mention salty notes in Collioure wines, but is this due to the sea breeze?

How does the Mediterranean climate influence the wines of Roussillon?

The Mediterranean climate is pretty straightforward: it’s dry for 11 out of 12 months, with torrential rains in November. And, of course, there’s wind (the Tramontane) almost all year round.

In Banyuls, there are a few additional nuances to note. The heat is always tempered by the wind, and there is very little variation in temperature between day and night due to the immediate proximity of the sea. Added to this is a unique phenomenon: when the prevailing wind—the Tramontane—is not blowing, the Marin takes over. The Marin is a wind coming from the sea (as its name suggests) and is laden with moisture. When it blows, it can herald rain, but more generally, it creates patches of fog that the first hillsides directly facing the sea will trap for several hours in the morning, and sometimes all day long.

Seafood adds a touch of freshness to the white Banyuls wines from Domaine de Madeloc

At Domaine Madeloc, we chose (since we had the opportunity!) to plant these hillsides with white grape varieties (Grenache Gris, Roussanne, and Vermentino). These varieties are very sensitive to heat, which can “burn” the acidity out of the berries. By infusing the berries with a bit of moisture from the sea, we thought we could protect the grapes and preserve a bit more freshness and acidity. This experiment proved quite successful, as there is a clear difference in freshness between the seaside vines and the high-altitude vines, which we’ll reserve primarily for white Banyuls (this isn’t necessarily applicable to the reds).

However, there is a downside to this sea spray: it can be devastating in areas too close to the sea. The salt-laden spray can burn the vines, causing them to remain stunted. So, on one of our plots, we’ve let reeds grow to protect the young vines that were being damaged by the salt.

The sun, the sea breeze, and the schist soil—three essential elements for a Banyuls

Wine tasters agree that Collioure wines have iodine-like, even salty notes ; from there, it’s only a short step to conclude that the sea breeze is the source. Personally, I don’t agree. These iodine notes are found throughout our terroir, and I believe it is the influence of the schist soil, combined with our sunny climate, that brings out these notes. That said, the maritime influence is essential to my work with the white Collioure wines.

Elise Gaillard (winemaker at Domaine Madeloc)