ORBIS city intelligence

Buying in Collioure: Salted Anchovies and the Wine Above Them

Two products come out of this village and they come from the same hillside and harbour. Anchovies cured in salt, and wine off the terraced schist above the port. Buy both rather than choosing between them, because the pairing is the reason to come.

Maison Desclaux: salted, not oil-packed, and know the difference S1

A fourth-generation family has hand-salted anchovies here since 1903. Salt-cured and oil-packed are not substitutes, so ask which you are being sold and how it should be prepared.

Salted anchovies usually need rinsing and filleting before use. Ask the counter to explain the method, and check how long an opened jar keeps once you are home.

Anchois Roque: the anchovies plus what is eaten with them S2

Roque works the same cure alongside a wider Catalan pantry, which makes it the better single stop if you want a whole meal rather than one jar.

Ask which preserves are made on site and which are bought in. Check which is which when two jars look alike, because that distinction matters more than the label design.

Domaine La Tour Vieille: ask for the pair, not the bottle S3

Collioure and Banyuls come off the same vineyards. Collioure is the dry wine and Banyuls the fortified sweet one, and every estate here makes both.

Ask to taste the pair together rather than choosing one. That comparison is the point of drinking in this appellation and it will settle what you buy.

Elementerre: the one workshop you can watch S4

Elementerre throws bowls and salt cellars on Rue Arago, which is the one confirmed street address on this page. Time your visit for when the wheel is running, since the making happens on site and is worth watching.

A salt cellar here and salted anchovies from Desclaux make a coherent pair to carry out of the village. Ask about packing before buying anything thrown thin, since fired clay chips easily in a bag.

Try Domaine Piétri-Géraud or Domaine Reno instead, since both cover the same two appellations if La Tour Vieille is closed.