A ‘fromagerie’ sells fromage (cheese), a ‘poissonnerie’ fish, and a ‘vinaigrerie’ vinegar, what else? There used to be hundreds of ‘maîtres vinaigrier’ (vinegar makers) in France, but now there are only a handful left. One of them is La Vinaigrerie La Guinelle in the hamlet of Cosprons, part of Port-Vendres in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. It is one of the last vinegar maker in France that makes its products in the open air. And, even more special, they use the famous Banyuls wine as a base for their tasty condiment.
Over 25 Years
Driving up to La Vinaigrerie La Guinelle takes you through a magnificent landscape, landing right in the middle of Port-Vendres and Banyuls-sur-Mer on the coast. Chéri and I arrived to see a lush green scenery with original decorated stones sitting along a creek. We parked our car and followed the sign to the end of the road where we found La Guinelle. Since 2022, Chandra Brune runs the vinaigrerie, after taking over from Nathalie Lefort, who started La Guinelle in 1999. It took Nathalie four years to transform this small house into a vinaigrerie, making vinegar from Banyuls wine the traditional way. And now, more than 25 years later, people from far and wide find their way to La Guinelle. Including some of the world’s top chefs! You can buy on the spot, in their shop on 20 rue Saint-Sébastien in Banyuls-sur-Mer, or online.
La Mere
Chandra had already worked at La Guinelle since the age of 19 and learned the ins and outs of making vinegar from Nathalie. She was determined to take over the vinaigrerie one day, and so it happened. When you visit, Chandra and her co-workers welcome you with an explanation and tasting from Monday to Friday between 09h00 to 12h00 and 14h00 to 17h00. Chéri and I arrived just after another couple and joined them while Chandra passionately told us about her beautiful natural product. La Guinelle buys the Banyuls wine only from the best wine makers, like Cave l’Étoile in Banyuls-sur-Mer. After putting the wine in oak barrels, the bacteria takes about four to six months to produce ‘la mere’. This is a sort of veil on top of the wine that appears when the bacteria feed on the alcohol in the wine.
Lalie
The goal is to reach an acidity of 6%, which Chandra supervises daily. Once this percentage is reached, the barrels are emptied into the so-called ‘Dames Jeanne’, which are big glass bottles. After another three months, the vinegar is ready to be bottled. Chéri and I tasted all six flavours, from the red vinegar of an aged Banyuls wine to a white one of muscat de rivesaltes. I was very charmed by the taste of the last jar, called ‘Lalie’. It had a kind of jam structure- without it being a jam- made of the thicker remnant left in the dame jeanne. Of course, I bought a jar and have already tried it with some cheese. Divine! Also, my homemade salads taste much better with a sprinkle of the vinaigre de Banyuls. I’m already sorry that I didn’t buy the whole range…
