Try Beaujolais before you die! Why?
Three words: Yum! Yum! And, Yum! Plus, it's not that expensive.
Well-made Beaujolais is a gorgeous wine. It’s not massively complex, structured, or ageable (an exception being some of the Crus). But, it is utterly delicious and totally gluggable. It’s an experience you don’t want to miss out on. Silky, fruity and refreshing with a lightness of touch that makes it perfect for a lunchtime or picnic wine or if you just want a break from those heavier soupier reds.
Made from the Gamay grape variety, most Beaujolais is low in tannin and has an appealing bubble gum, pear-drop, or banana touch to its soft red fruit. This is a hall mark of the vinification method carbonic maceration, rather than the Gamay grape itself. Carbonic maceration is widely used in Beaujolais and also helps highlight the aromatics and fruit while minimizing the tannins.
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| A vineyard with a windmill in Chenas, Beaujolais | © Richard Semik / stock.adobe.com |
Broadly speaking, there are three types of Beaujolais: Beaujolais, Beaujolais Village, and the Crus (10 different ones all up). Quality goes up as move from left to right across these three. That means the wines have greater depth, concentration and complexity as source of the grapes moves from higher yielding flatter vineyard sites to sunnier, lower yielding vineyard sites further up the slopes.
So, what about the Crus? The 10 Crus are separate areas within the Beaujolais region that produce their own distinct style of Beaujolais. And are usually delineated by their particular soil or topography or both. The labels for these wines don’t typically have the word Beaujolais on them, so you have to be in the know.
Here’s a list of them in approximate ascending order of body weight—from lighter to fuller bodied. Chiroubles, Saint-Amour, Fleurie, Regnie, Brouilly, Cote de Brouilly, Julienas, Chenas, Morgon, and Moulin-a-Vent. I really like the ones at the lighter end of the spectrum, but they can all be delicious. Try a few—you won’t get tired of them.
To help you decide, the good folk at the Beaujolais wine council have developed this nifty tool on their website to help narrow it down based on your preferences. Check it out!