Collioure, to tourists is one of the prettiest seaside villages on the Mediterranean coast just north of the Franco-Spanish border. To wine lovers it is a rare, particularly heady, deep, usually red table wine whose aromas of overripe fruits and spice reflect the fact that Collioure comes from exactly the same area as banyuls. There is a pink version and a scented, particularly full, low-acid white wine. The characteristics of the vintage determine what proportion of grapes become Collioure rather than Banyuls, but the grapes for Collioure are certainly picked before those destined to become vin doux naturel. This is the only wine zone untouched by mechanical harvesting, so steep are the terraces. The region’s mourvèdre is grown expressly for Collioure, however, as it, Syrah, Grenache Noir, and Carignan are the red and rosé ingredients. As in Banyuls, yields from these bush vines are some of the lowest in France, although 40 hl/ha (2.3 tons/acre) is decreed the official maximum.
