The Banyuls is a red liqueur wine, which in France is called Vin Doux naturel, from Roussillon in the south of France. It grows in vineyards sloping towards the Mediterranean north of the city of Perpignan. Similar to port wine, fermentation is stopped by adding drinking alcohol, but with the French "Vin doux naturel" you are usually content with "only" 16 to 18% alcohol in the finished product, in contrast to the around 20% for port wine .
The Banyuls Aphrodis Traditionnel from Abbé Rous consists of highly ripe grapes that have a potential natural alcohol content of 15% at the time of harvest. After the must has fermented for some time, the fermentation is stopped with eau de vie, which retains some of the natural glucose. This wine is bottled after three years of storage in wooden barrels, some of which are open-air and exposed to the weather, which accelerates the development of maturity. Banyuls goes excellently with chocolate desserts and blue cheese.
