Beaujolais wine

Beaujolais is a winemaking region located north of Lyon in eastern France, renowned for its vibrant and fruity red wines primarily made from Gamay – the region’s primary grape.

This region is famed for its Beaujolais Nouveau – a fruity young wine released just weeks after harvest on the third Thursday of November and celebrated worldwide with annual events.

Beaujolais is also known for its elegant and complex Cru Beaujolais wines, which come from ten specified areas.

The diversity in wine styles, the region’s rich winemaking tradition and the global celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau all contribute to the fame of Beaujolais wines.

The main grape of the Beaujolais region is Gamay, which accounts for 98% of the region’s wine production. This red grape variety has thin skin, leading to light-red wines bursting with the tastes of strawberries, sour cherries, and black pepper, with floral aromas of lilac and violets.

The natural sharpness of Gamay is often mellowed by a method called carbonic maceration. With this method, the grape juice ferments inside the berry before being crushed, which lowers the tannin and boosts the fruity flavour.  Some producers – aiming for super high quality – use traditional winemaking methods and age the wine in oak to bring out the best in this grape.

There are several classifications of Beaujolais, which represent levels of quality. These classifications are based on the appellation (recognised wine growing area) where the grapes are grown, how the wine is made, and how long it’s aged.

• Beaujolais AOC – the most basic level used to describe any wine made in the Beaujolais region.
• Beaujolais-Villages – an intermediate classification covering 38 villages in Haut Beaujolais in the region’s north.
• Cru Beaujolais – these represent the highest quality wines in the region, from ten appellations.

Each Beaujolais cru is celebrated for its high quality and distinctive flavours. They include:

• Brouilly – the largest and best-known cru, known for its medium-bodied wines with red fruit notes and subtle floral hints.
• Chénas – known for rustic wines featuring a distinctive floral bouquet.
• Chiroubles – a high-altitude cru making light and delicate wines.
• Côte de Brouilly – creates complex wines with an intense garnet red colour.
• Fleurie – often called the ‘Queen of Beaujolais’ for its elegant, floral wines.
• Juliénas – named after Julius Caesar, this cru wine carries notes of cherries and berries, along with hints of cinnamon.
• Morgon – creates robust and full-bodied wines with great ageing potential.
• Moulin-à-Vent – known for its robust, complex wines that benefit from ageing.
• Régnié – the newest cru, officially recognised in 1988, known for its silky and easy-drinking wines.
• Saint-Amour – the northernmost cru, producing fragrant wines.

Beaujolais wines are characterised by their light-to-medium body and gentle tannins. But their distinctive feature is their lively, fruit character including notes of:

• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Violet
• Black cherry or plum

Some expressions, especially Beaujolais Nouveaux, might surprise with playful hints of banana or bubblegum.

Beaujolais Nouveau Day takes place on the third Thursday of November each year. It marks the release of the year’s selection of Beaujolais Nouveau – an early-release wine traditionally enjoyed by vineyard workers to celebrate the end of the harvest.

The winemaking process for Beaujolais Nouveau is also unique, using carbonic maceration, which contributes to the wine’s distinctive fruity and easy-drinking character.

As Beaujolais Nouveau became more widely popular in the 1960s, winemakers like Georges Duboeuf – the man behind Beaujolais Nouveau – began a marketing campaign to see who could get the first bottle to Paris.

The arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau is celebrated with fanfare not only in France but also internationally. Parties, music, fireworks and various festivities mark the occasion, and at one minute past midnight, the uncorking of the bottles begins, accompanied by the famous declaration “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” (The Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived!).