Banyuls l'Oubliée, Domaine de la Rectorie,
Marc and Thierry Parcé


Marc, Thierry and the whole family work 18 hectares of vines in Banyuls. They are great specialists of vintage type Banyuls above all, and they also produce excellent Collioure wines from separate plots and varietals. Like its name indicates, this cuvée is the content of a barrel which stood long overlooked to the back of the courtyard. This is a Banyuls hors d'âge, old vinestock of Grey Grenache, which was fortified on the juice, and raised in the traditional manner in casks, exposed to the sun for several years, with no topping up. The yield - 20 hectolitres to the hectare - is low. Aging in an oxidative environment leaves a lot up to the angels - this cuvee is confidential.

Commandaria Saint John, Keo Cyprus
Eight centuries before our era, the Greek poet Hesiodos, had already described the "nama" from Cyprus, a sweet wine made from desiccated grapes. The current name was given in the 12th century, at the time of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem.
In 1993, the Commandaria wine became the first protected appellation of geographical origin. It is produced in 14 villages scattered throughout the mountains of Troodos, 30 km north of Limassol, and made from the red varietal "Mavro" and the white "Xynisteri" varietal.

The grapes are harvested in mid-September, and must have minimum richness of 212 and 258 g respectively at harvest time. The grapes are then desiccated in the sun for at least one week. After this step, the sugar in the Mavro varietal is 390 g and the Xynisteri is 450 g. Fermentation is done at the production site. The minimum degree of alcohol must be 10°. Then the wine is taken down into the storehouses in Limassol, where alcohol is added to fortify it, then aged in oak barrels for at least two years. Some Commandaria wines are raised in three racks of solera.