The new Beaujolais will arrive!

The Beaujolais wine region is in central-eastern France on the western side of the Saône River, close to Lyon. The Burgundy wine region is to the north, and the Rhône and Provence wine regions are located south of Beaujolais. There are three sub-regions within Beaujolais: Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages, and Beaujolais Cru.

In practice, all Beaujolais are made from 100% Gamay grapes that produce a deep bluish to red color wine with moderate tannin, good acidity, light to medium weight with a rush of red berry fruit taste and aroma.

Beaujolais Nouveau.

Or New Beaujolais is from the Beaujolais sub-region and is traditionally consumed starting on the third Thursday in November to celebrate the recent grape harvest. This day is known as Beaujolais Nouveau Day and is now globally heralded with The new Beaujolais has arrived! And celebrated with themed parties from eloquent to ridiculous. The newly fermented and bottled wine is shipped to local markets worldwide ahead of time so they can get a first taste starting one minute after midnight local time.

Beaujolais Nouveau is made using an interesting and old method now called Carbonic Maceration. This method starts with placing whole clusters of un-crushed grapes in sealed vats and covering them in CO2. This initiates an internal reaction causing fermentation to about 3% alcohol without using yeast. Afterward, the winemaker started a normal fermentation with yeast; this increased the alcohol to normal levels in the 12% range. The wine produced is deep-colored, very fresh, with a big fruity nose ready to drink within weeks of fermentation!    

Beaujolais-Villages.

A step up in quality from the Beaujolais Nouveau is the mid-level category Beaujolais-Villages wines produced in thirty-nine villages in Haut Beaujolais. Unlike the Beaujolais Nouveau’s drink-now style, these wines are released in March of the following year after harvest and intended to be consumed within a few years. The Beaujolais Villages area is hilly with less fertile soil offering the opportunity for better-quality wine. On labels, you’ll find the name of the single vineyard or village in addition to “Beaujolais-Village.”

Beaujolais Crus.

Beaujolais Crus are the highest quality Beaujolais wines from ten villages-areas in the Beaujolais mountains’ foothills. Seven of the ten wine regions are actual villages; two are names of vineyards, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly, and one, Moulin-à-Vent, is named for a local windmill. These wines don’t include “Beaujolais” on the label to distinguish themselves from Beaujolais of lesser quality. The Crus have unique characteristics ranging from lighter to full-bodied; some can age up to ten years. They are listed here from north to south: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly.