Everyone knows about Burgundy - the notorious historical region of France. How many wonderful drinks the local winemakers gave to the world. But one of the regions of this wine-growing province cannot boast of good climatic and soil conditions for growing vines, and its name is Beaujolais.
In this region, winegrowers would be better off growing apples, but how could it be, a part of Burgundy without its own special wine? Local farmers found a solution and chose the most unpretentious Gamay grape for planting. This variety has some advantages:
- Unpretentious.
- Ripens early.
- Brings a lot of harvest.
Gamay grapes begin to be harvested at the end of August, while other varieties ripen only in October. In addition to the advantages, "Gamay" has a significant disadvantage, which should repel winemakers, namely, drinks from such grapes cannot be stored for a long time. In half a year, all the wine must be sold and drunk, otherwise all the work was in vain. If other wines only get better with age, gradually revealing their taste, then for Beaujolais time plays a disservice.
Winemakers in the Beaujolais region have no problem selling their early young wine Beaujolais nouveau, as a young wine day allows you to sell almost the entire drink!
Millions of people not only in France, but all over the world every year anxiously wait for the third Thursday of November to visit the largest Beaujolais festival. This is the day of young wine in France, which, despite its popularity, still causes controversy among consumers. Someone thinks that young wine is an unusual and unique drink, which deserves a holiday in honor of its unique taste. Other people say Beaujolais day is just a highly successful marketing ploy by Burgundy winegrowers that helps them make big profits every year by selling a mediocre drink to an inexperienced public.
Of course, no one can judge the sides of this heated dispute. Each person has the right to decide for himself which explanation is closer to him. But still, no one can argue with the fact that the Beaujolais holiday is a wonderful tradition, which is one of the main decorations of the amazing country of France. Every year, Beaujolais Day brings together many people with one goal - to visit as many pubs as possible and drink at least a glass in each unusual young French wine.
History of appearance
The celebration of the new harvest of Beaujolais began in France recently, around the middle of the twentieth century. Thanks to the wonderful taste of young wine and its unique atmosphere, this holiday in such a short time was able to gain recognition not only in France, but throughout the world. Thanks to this, New Harvest Day has become a global tradition.
The start of the celebration begins with the small town of Beaujo, where the Burgundian winemakers, armed with burning torches, march in a single formation to the main square of the city, where everyone is already waiting barrels of wine from the new Beaujolais vintage.
The Day of Young Wine is a grandiose celebration, it pleases and amazes everyone who comes with its scale. Exactly at midnight, the barrels are uncorked and everyone can fill their glass with a delicious and unusual drink. You can easily guess how events develop further, but it’s still better to visit this gorgeous and exciting festival once than hear or read about it a hundred times. There are no analogues to this event all over the world, except perhaps a beer festival in Germany, called Oktoberfest might come to mind.
Already, many fans of Beaujolais Nouveau are in anticipation of the celebration, which will take place on November sixteenth in two thousand and seventeen and on November fifteenth in two thousand and eighteen.
Beaujolais nouveau, or Beaujolais Nouveau in French, is an amazing young wine created in Burgundy from Gamay grapes. "Gamay" is an early ripe black grape that gives drinks a unique aroma and ruby color. Sommelier, tasting the young Beaujolais distinguish the following notes of such berries in it:
- Red Ribes.
- Raspberries.
- Cherry
Beaujolais Nouveau is distinguished by tart notes and has a twelve percent fortress.
There has been a lot of controversy around the taste of this drink for a long time. They are caused by the age of the wine, because Beaujolais nouveau goes on sale immediately after fermentation ends. That is, between the harvest and the appearance of the drink on sale, literally a month and a half passes. For wines, this state of affairs seems more than unusual.
Nevertheless, Beaujolais nouveau has a multi-million army of fans who adore this drink for its unusually light, but slightly harsh taste.
Manufacturing
To create a great wine Beaujolais Nouveau, bunches with whole grapes are placed in special tanks, and then filled with carbon dioxide. This is done in order to extract from the berries without any additional influences. grape juice. This process is called carbonic or carbonic maceration. It lasts five to six days. After the end of maceration, the juice is filtered, and the skins of the berries are driven through a press so as not to miss a single drop of liquid.
After that, the future wine proceeds to the next stage - fermentation, that is, fermentation. It lasts a very short time, about twenty-five to thirty-five days. When the wine has finished fermenting, it is immediately bottled, labeled and sent for sale.
The most common brands of young wine are:
- Albert Bisho.
- Domain Yvon Metras.
- Georges Duboeuf.
- Louis Jadot.
- Jean-Paul Thevenet.
How to drink young wine Beaujolais
Beaujolais is a wine with a short shelf life. All lovers of this unusual drink know that it can last only four to six months from the date of readiness, and then it will become unusable and it will no longer be possible to drink it. Therefore, if you have purchased this wine and decided to let it brew in order to improve the taste, you know, you should never do this. Otherwise, your French young wine festival will end before it starts.
Also pay attention to the production time even when buying a drink. Real Beaujolais wine is sold only until the first spring month following the year of manufacture.
Before proceeding with the tasting of Beaujolais Nouveau, it should be cooled to twelve or thirteen degrees Celsius and poured into classic wine glasses. In such cases, you can fully experience the taste of the drink and enjoy its astringency, lightness and versatility, which have already conquered many people.
What to drink Beaujolais with
In France, they are accustomed to attribute Beaujolais to versatile drinks that can be drunk in the morning, afternoon and evening, at lunch or dinner, at romantic events and in a friendly atmosphere. Therefore, there are a great many varieties of snacks for this wine.
But like all good wines at Beaujolais there are several traditional dishes that are usually served when drinking this drink. These include:
Fans of Beaujolais Nouveau recommend those who decide to try this wine for the first time to start tasting with Beaujolais Village. This drink is bright pleasant taste and rich aroma, suitable for various snacks, and will also come in handy at any celebration.
I tried many different wines in my life, the turn came to Beaujolais Nouveau. After the first glass, I decided that I expected more from French wine. After the second tasted and realized that the drink is not for everyone. In general, I was more than satisfied, the wine is universal and I think it will go well with almost any snack.
But at first my woman did not like Beaujolais, as she is a big lover of sweets, and it is sour and bitter. But drinking their favorite cake for her turned out to be quite a pleasant experience, so I think that by the next romantic evening we will take another bottle.
We accidentally learned that all of Europe celebrates the day of the young wine Beaujolais nouveau in autumn. I was very surprised that there is such a drink made from grapes that does not adorn age. So we decided to buy and try.
On the bottle it was indicated that the wine has berry notes. I can’t call myself a connoisseur of such drinks, but I didn’t feel anything like that. Beaujolais is not very sweet, with sourness, but I do not like sugary drinks. It’s bad, of course, that such wine can only be bought in winter and autumn, since I really liked it.
Beaujolais Nouveau is a very boozy wine. Even I need a bottle to feel ready. This is my wife's favorite wine, so in the autumn-winter season it is often on our table. She even adds it to marinades, and it turns out very well.
I, as an old school person, cannot understand the fact that wine can be stored for only five months, if not less. But this is an insignificant minus, in general, the drink is good and makes me very happy with its democratic price.
In the midst of the nouveau madness, it's time to return to the best Beaujolais - in the incarnation of cru.
Beaujolais Nouveau is the greatest marketing success of French winemakers of the 20th century. He could only rejoice (after all, no one forces us to drink this wine, and counting other people's income is a bad form), but one fact interferes: hectoliters of nouveau hide other Beaujolais wines from the whole world. They are not suitable for mulled wine, but they can really please a thoughtful connoisseur.
Crus Beaujolais is still a big secret among French wine lovers. Outside the country, almost no one understands what it is, and the price tags of Cru Beaujolais for knowledgeable people are just a godsend: there are almost no other wines of such quality and at the same time so inexpensive in Europe.
10 facts about Beaujolais
The Beaujolais region is formally part of Burgundy, but has completely different soils and its own grape variety, Gamay. The name "Beaujolais" comes from the town of Beaujoux, founded in the 10th century. And the first vineyards in the region appeared in the 9th century.
Beaujolais stretches for about 60 km along the Saone from Macon in the north to Lyon in the south. The largest city in the region - Lyon, as the French proverb says, stands on three rivers: Rhone, Saone and Beaujolais
Beaujolais is the only vineyard of this size (20,000 hectares) planted with gamet in the world. It became a "reserve" game after in 1395 the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Brave forbade the cultivation of this variety anywhere else.
According to local legend, the crusaders went to the Promised Land not at all for the Holy Grail, but for new varieties of grapes, among which was game. Unfortunately, the legend is not confirmed by historical evidence.
In Beaujolais, the vast majority of vineyards are very small plots (from 1 to 12 hectares) owned by independent winegrowers, who, as a rule, sell their harvest to merchants, and not local, but Burgundy
On the territory of the Beaujolais region itself, less than half of the Beaujolais wines are bottled, and only about 15% of the total volume are the wines of small farms using only harvest from their own vineyards
The Beaujolais classification distinguishes four quality levels (corresponding to four appellations): the lowest is Beaujolais Nouveau, then the “basic” Beaujolais AOC, then Beaujolais Villages and, finally, the best Beaujolais is Beaujolais Cru
The Beaujolais Cru category is the wines of ten communes (villages) in the north of the region. Their vineyards cover just over a quarter of the total area of Beaujolais vineyards. On the labels of these wines, the word Beaujolais is not written - only the name of the Cru itself.
The wines of each of the Beaujolais crus have their own stylistic characteristics, due to some differences in soils. And even the dishes recommended for Beaujolais from different cru will be different.
Unlike most red wines, Beaujolais cru should be chilled before serving. The recommended temperature for most crus is 14°, but some should be chilled to 11-13°. Crus aging potential - 3-5 years
Non-cru
To understand what a cru in Beaujolais is, you first need to understand the general classification of this region.
Beaujolais Nouveau(the one that arrives on the third Thursday of November) is the lowest rung of the hierarchy. The whole story of Beaujolais Nouveau is the fruit of the post-war economic boom of the 1950s. Before the Second World War, no one had heard of any “young Beaujolais” holidays, but a few years after its end, several enterprising merchants decided to shake up the perked up European market. To do this, they hired not only press agents, but also pretty models, movie stars and other beautiful and famous people who took part in a fun holiday with pleasure. And the general madness began.
Although even then Alexis Lichine (the great Bordeaux winemaker of Russian origin) wrote in his book on French wines that “this wine does not even deserve to be mentioned. Until the 1950s, it never even saw the inside of the bottle, and then some strange snobbery, on the contrary, pulled it from the cheap eateries of Lyon to world fame. A little later, the American vintner Gerald Weymax, famous for his malice, added to this the catchphrase "Asking what Beaujolais Nouveau is this year is like asking what Pepsi is this week."
Nevertheless, Beaujolais Nouveau became perhaps the most popular French wine in the world, and by the 1970s it was sold everywhere, from Alaska to Australia. The problem is that it is with his "compote" style that buyers around the world have come to associate any wine from Beaujolais. In fairness, it must be said that the next quality in the hierarchy often corresponds to this prejudice. This appellation covers almost 10,000 hectares and supplies a huge amount of uncomplicated, lively and, occasionally, very pleasant wines. Ordinary Beaujolais is best drunk within a year after harvest, and when served, it is best to cool it down to 11 °. Next step - Beaujolais Villages, 5850 hectares and 39 villages that have the right to write their name on the labels (but they rarely do this, since these villages are not known even in nearby Lyon, not to mention other parts of France and the world). Unlike clay-limestone Beaujolais, the Beaujolais-Village appellation is located on clay soils interspersed with crystalline rocks. It is a source of attractive wines with clean berry aromas and mild flavors. They should be chilled just as much as regular Beaujolais and drunk just as quickly.
And only after Beaujolais Villages, at the top of the Beaujolais quality ladder, do we enter the world of cru.
In terms of value for money, there are few competitors in France. Nouveau, even at its best, remains "artisanal caramel", and interesting Beaujolais and Beaujoalis-Villages are always the result of a very long search. At the same time, Cru Beaujolais is a rather serious wine, and good examples in this appellation are much more common.
At the same time, both Nouveau and Cru are made from the same grape - game (if whole - black game with white juice). The key difference is in the terroirs and vinification processes.
nine plus one
So what is a cru in Beaujolais? These are ten distinct terroirs in the north of the region, where soil and microclimate characteristics make it possible to make wines that can stand on a par with excellent communal Burgundy appellations. Previously, there were nine cru, and the tenth - Rainier appeared only in 1988, after many years of research that confirmed its potential. The difficulty in understanding the crus system is that they are very different. Getting to know them is like climbing from the simplest and most short-lived wines to increasingly complex wines with great potential. If you list the crus in order of increasing complexity, then the list will look like this:
Chiroubles
Saint-Amour (St.-Amour)
Rainier (Regnie)
Shena (Chenas)
Côte de Brouilly
Bruilli (Brouilly)
Fleurie
Julien (Julienas)
Morgon (Morgon)
Moulin-a-Vent.
In total, they occupy about 6400 hectares. The main type of soil for all is granite, but in each cru it has its own characteristics, which explain the character of each wine.
By the way, according to the law, the word "Beaujolais", so familiar to all consumers, is absent on the label of wines of this class. According to the rules of the appellations, they are marked only with the name of the cru, so it is worth remembering them.
Moulin-a-Vent / Moulin-a-Vent
650 ha
Soils:
Granite soils are characterized by a high content of manganese, which determine the unusual character of the local wines.
Style:
The most famous and indeed the best cru of Beaujolais. Its name comes from a strange windmill, which has long become a symbol of both Beaujolais in general and this cru in particular. This most full-bodied Beaujolais at a young age is sometimes distinguished by a slight bitterness, which disappears with aging.
Serving temperature:
14°C
Morgon / Morgon
1100 ha
Soils:
The vineyards are planted on loose slate and granite gravel, which the locals call "rotten stone."
Style:
Despite such a strange name for the soils, the grapes grow beautifully on them and produce quite serious wines with good depth. The typical Morgon is a full-bodied wine with notes of apricots and plums and excellent aging abilities.
Serving temperature:
13°C
Julien / Julienas
580 ha
Soils:
Slate and clay are added here to the granite familiar throughout the region.
Style:
Crewe got its name from Julius Caesar. Not the most durable cru, although the wine of successful vintages can live and develop much longer than the 2-3 years required by the appellation standard. Adding clay to the soil "compacts" the berry flavors of cherries and strawberries.
Serving temperature:
13°C
Fleurie / Fleurie
800 ha
Soils:
Granite sand.
Style:
It is considered the main competitor of Moulin-à-Van in the fight for the title of "better cru Beaujolais", although they are very different in style.
A typical Fleury should be velvety, soft and fragrant like a flower bouquet: rose petals, violets and irises. In the best examples, floral aromas are complemented by berry aromas (red and black currants). It is often referred to as the most "feminine" cru.
Serving temperature:
13°C
Bruilly / Brouilly
1200 ha
Soils:
The southernmost cru. In Bruilly, the soils contain more sand with granitic inclusions. The largest of all the cru is located at the foot of the hill of the same name.
Style:
It is believed that it is with Bruy that it is best to start acquaintance with cru class Beaujolais.
The wines of Bruilly are quite understandable, but at the same time they clearly demonstrate the differences between the cru and the usual Beaujolais - a richer ruby color and more refined aromas of plums and red berries.
Serving temperature:
Around 12°C
Côte de Brouilly
290 ha
Soils:
Cru lies on the slopes of the hill of Bruyil. Soils - a special type of volcanic rock, Andean granite, which contains a lot of copper. Often there are inclusions of slate.
Style:
An almost purple wine that often smells like fresh grapes. To fully develop, it needs about a year of exposure.
Serving temperature:
Around 13°C
Shena / Chenas
260 ha
Soils:
Cru lies next to Moulin-à-Van. Soils - granite sand.
Character traits:
Due to the similarity of terroirs to Moulin-à-Vint, wines show a characteristic bitterness at a young age, but Chénas have less aging ability than Moulin-à-Vent.
Style:
Typically exhibits a ruby color with garnet hues and a bouquet with floral and woody tones.
Serving temperature:
14°C
Renier / Regnie
650 ha
Soils:
A mixture of granite and sand.
Style:
The style of local wines is something between the two neighboring cru - slightly lighter than Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon, but more intense than Brouilly. Graceful structure, as well as aromas of red currant and raspberry distinguish Renié in good years.
Serving temperature:
12°C
Saint-Amour / St.-Amour
280 ha
Soils:
The northernmost cru is located already in the department of Saone-et-Loire. The only cru where the soils are not granite, but a mixture of clay and sand.
Style:
It is most in demand before Valentine's Day - the name, translated as "holy love", tempts all lovers to give this wine to the object of their feelings. Usually in such cases one does not think about the quality of the drink itself, although Saint Amour is a very pleasant wine with characteristic violet and spicy aromas and occasional notes of apricot.
Serving temperature:
13°C
Chiruble / Chiroubles
340 ha
Soils:
The highest cru is located at an altitude of 400 m above sea level. The soils are a mixture of granite and volcanic rocks, which determines the lightness of the wines.
Style:
The thinnest and most delicate, but at the same time the most short-lived wines among all the cru. This wine is characterized by light floral aromas of peony, violets and lilies.
Serving temperature:
12°
Many English critics write that a glass of good Beaujolais Cru will appeal even to representatives of the generation that has been grown in the last ten years on “overclocked and tuned” red blockbusters
Who is less?
To convey to the consumer all the features of the different terroirs of the ten cru, the winemaker must make quite a lot of effort. Today, one of the topics for discussion in Beaujolais, including the cru, is the level of yield. This problem is always particularly acute in the "negotsianist" regions. The official yield in Beaujolais is 58 hl/ha for cru, 60 hl/ha for Beaujolais Villages and 66 hl/ha for regular Beaujolais. At the same time, all serious cru producers are sure that harvesting more than 45 hl/ha means ruining the wine (in Moulin-a-Van, the best estates with their own vineyards try not to exceed the bar of 40 hl/ha). Merchants interested in the quality of the final product are also in favor of reduced yields, but for them the only way to achieve this is to pay the growers the difference, and many houses have already adopted this practice. However, for the majority of winegrowers who own plots of about 6 hectares (the average size for Beaujolais), a decrease in yield (and therefore - "green harvest", pruning, etc.) is associated with additional costs that negotiant "premiums" do not fully cover yet. Any farmer in Beaujolais will say that the minimum level is 50 hl/ha, otherwise he will go broke. Therefore, smaller yields can be afforded either by large houses in their own vineyards, or by small producers who have already managed to achieve a serious international reputation, thanks to which they can keep prices for their wines slightly above average. In addition, only small wineries with their own vineyards can consistently solve the main problem of modern Beaujolais - the excessive use of chemicals. In most regions of France, lutte raisonée, that is, “reasonable control” against diseases and pests, has already become almost a commonplace, but in Beaujolais they still think more often in quantitative rather than qualitative dimensions, and quite a lot of various chemicals are used in the vineyards.
It is wrong to think that only Nouveau is made by carbon maceration, as this method is also used for other wines, including crus. However, wines above Nouveau undergo carbon maceration at a different temperature. Nouveau is macerated at 20°, when the extraction of tannins from the skins is not too active, so the wine is light-bodied, soft and with a bright bouquet of fruity aromas. More serious wines, such as Domaine Berrod's Beaujolais-Villages, go through this process at about 30°, allowing much more complete extraction of both tannins and aromatics. True, in any case, this technology makes gamay wines extremely short-lived: Nouveau is legally prohibited from selling from March 1 of the year following the harvest, and Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages, obtained using carbon maceration, can be sold longer, but still do not live more than one and a half - two years.
Yeast and sugar
The use of herbicides and pesticides, in addition to being not very good in itself, also entails great difficulties with vinification. The fact is that most of the sprays (against oidium, mildew, etc.) kill some of the natural yeast on the skin of the berries. As a result, during the fermentation process, winemakers are simply forced to add artificial yeast to the must, which destroys the “terroir” of the wine. In addition, artificial yeast is simply more technologically advanced, since it “covers up” many of the grower’s shortcomings. Those who use them say that this is necessary in order to surely bring the fermentation to the end. Mostly in Beaujolais, artificial yeast brand 71B is used. They are produced in Holland from tomatoes and they give that riot of banana flavors that are so familiar to Beaujolais and so, in general, atypical for red wines.
A few "dissidents" (such as Jean-Paul Brun of the Domaine des Terres Dorées) believe - and prove with years of experience - that conscientious work in the vineyard, the avoidance of chemicals and the careful timing of the harvest allow natural fermentation without problems .
In addition to artificial yeast, Beaujolais now has two more main vinification issues: sulfur and chaptalization. Chaptalization was unavoidable for many years, as game, as an early variety, never had a high sugar content. Recently, thoughtful winemakers are trying to move away from this practice, especially since nature itself helps them: the warming, doubtful for some experts, is quite obvious in Beaujolais, and grapes have been gaining more and more sugar on their own in recent years. But the use of sulfur is still being discussed. Small wineries and some individual merchants are gradually abandoning the use of artificial yeast and "extra" sulfur (adding the bare minimum and only at the end of malolactic fermentation). And it is these wines that French sommeliers and foreign connoisseurs who know the local realities hunt for.
Cru +
The different nature of the cru is also expressed in the fact that there is, perhaps, no such dish that would become an ideal companion for all ten. For each type of cruc you need to choose something different. The usual recommendations are:
- Saint-Amour, Chiroubles and Brouilly - an aperitif, with cold cuts, chicken, Saint-Marselain cheese. Americans, who have nothing sacred, advise Chiroubles with chicken nuggets;
- Côte de Brouilly - young is good for an aperitif, more seasoned - for fried and baked meat;
- Fleurie - for light snacks, fried chicken and fried lamb with herbs, especially rosemary, thyme, mint and bay leaf;
- Juliénas and Saint-Amour - with chicken, white meat and rustic terrine;
- Morgon - an aperitif, also good with red meat, chicken in complex sauces and aged Saint-Marcellin cheese;
- Moulin-a-Vent - for game and meat in rich sauces, such as cassoulet. Young specimens go well with barbecue and goat cheeses.
The inscription on the Beaujolais Supérieur label does not mean anything (it is not regulated by the appellation decree) and will most likely only indicate a slightly increased level of alcohol in the wine.
Let's guess: you also belong to the very category of "connoisseurs of haute cuisine" for whom the word "Beaujolais" is, if familiar, only in combination with the word "Nouveau". Well, like a young wine. Kind of like French. If yes, then now you (as well as ourselves a week ago) will open a brave new world.
So, 10 facts about Beaujolais wines, the knowledge of which, quite possibly, will color your life with completely new colors.
1. Beaujolais - as often happens with wine - is the name of the region. Indeed, in France. The name "Beaujolais" itself comes from the town of Beaujoux, founded in the 10th century. The first vineyards in this region appeared in the 9th century. Wine made from local Gamay grapes is highly praised by the world's leading wine critics today, because in recent years there has been a real revolution in the quality of wines. The "youth" inherent in them is connected precisely with the peculiarity of the variety - the wines from it are already very bright, complex and deep, in order to still let them mature in the cellar, usually relying on 10-15 years.
2. One of the key things to know and say out loud about Beaujolais wines is that they are amazingly gastronomic. Gamay wines are almost universal in terms of the palette of food pairings - organic with meat, fish, soup, dessert, and everything else. In other words, if there is a risk of goofing up with the choice of wine for an important dinner, Beaujolais will be the best and win-win option.
3. Beaujolais can be white, and pink, and, as most often happens, red.
4. Beaujolais has a unique vinification method that is not widely used anywhere else in the world. It's called carbonic maceration. The technique is thought out so that the entire fermentation is explosive - the juice quickly takes away all the fruitiness, but does not have time to extract tannins from the skin, which is especially useful for wine that is drunk young. In general, if the opportunity arises, remember - the trick of Beaujolais is the absence of tannins.
5. Beaujolais wines are one of the best choices in terms of price-quality ratio. Objectively: wines from more expensive price categories, as a rule, have the same high taste and aroma characteristics that Beaujolais receives from connoisseurs.
6. If you want to show off your erudition, say the word "cru" in the context of Beaujolais. What is a cru? These are ten designated zones in the north of the region, where soil and microclimate features make it possible to make wines of the highest quality. All cru are very different, and venerable sommeliers can talk for hours about the specifics of each, but we can remember the key: cru is a kind of cream of the whole category.
7. A bit of mythology in the theme to enhance the charm. According to the legends of those places, the Crusaders went to the Promised Land not at all for the Holy Grail, but for new varieties of grapes, among which was Gamay. From ourselves, we note the everyday plausibility of this version of events.
8. In Beaujolais, most of the vineyards are small plots (from 1 to 12 ha) owned by independent growers who sell their harvest to merchants. However, the number of small farms bottling wines under their own brand is growing, and this is one of the factors of the qualitative revolution in the region.
9. The Beaujolais Vineyard Road passes between 150 castles and 177 wine cellars, which are happy to give all travelers a warm welcome. During the year, more than 20 festivals and holidays of wine and food are held in the region, where everyone can taste the wines of all communes, communicate with winemakers and generally join the general festivities.
10. And finally, if they force you to name all the passwords-appearances, about specific names. Let's simplify our task: in general strokes, all Beaujolais wines can be divided into three categories. For passionate natures - "powerful and strong" wines, for example (well, suddenly remember something) Chena, Côte de Brouilly, Julien, Morgon and Moulin-à-Van. For romantics - "thin and fragrant": Chiruble, Fleury, Rainier, Saint-Amour. And finally, for real gourmets - "delicate and fruity" like Beaujolais Village.
Enjoy your evenings in search of truth (which is known in what).
Thanks for the information provided
and Beaujolais Nouveau
Beaujolais(Beaujolais
) legally belongs to the wine province of Burgundy, but at the same time does not lose its originality, which is fully confirmed by traditions. Evidence of this is the active distribution on the market of wines produced here, known throughout the world. Few people still do not know about the happy holiday of the young Beaujolais - « » which is celebrated every third Thursday of November.| Learning to understand wine |
Beaujolais, the southern gate of Burgundy, covers an area of 23,000 hectares, covering 96 communes belonging to the departments of Saone-et-Loire and Rhone. The length of the region from north to south is 50 km, the average width is 15 km.
The difference between Beaujolais and its famous neighbors is already noticeable in the landscapes. Smooth, almost straight slopes disappear here, but various hills and hollows appear, pleasing the eye with sun-drenched slopes; flat tiles on the roofs give way to Romanesque, giving the houses a "southern" look.
The territory narrows in its northern part. The river Arlois flows there, as if separating Maconnay.
In the very east there is a plain where the majestic Sona sparkles with bends. Julius Caesar said that "its course is so slow that the eye can hardly distinguish in which direction it is moving."
To the west are the Beaujolais mountains, the first spurs of the Massif Central. The highest point is Mount Saint-Rigo (1012m), which separates, like a frontier pillar, the regions of Saone and Loire.
And, finally, Lyon vineyards are spread in the south, leading to the center of the region, which is washed, as you know, by “three rivers”: Rhone, Sona, and ... Beaujolais!
Undoubtedly, Beaujolais wines owe much to Lyon, since to this day they are bought by the famous Lyon bistros - “bouchons”, which became the preferred market for Beaujolais after the heyday of vineyards in the 18th century. Two centuries earlier, the status of the capital passed from Beaujeu (who gave the name of the region) to Villefranche-sur-Saone. The skillful and wise rulers of God were able to achieve the expansion and prosperity of their possessions, inspired by the power of their illustrious neighbors - the counts De Macon and De Forez, the abbots of Cluny and the archbishops of Lyon.
The rapid development of vineyards was facilitated by the entry of Beaujolais into the top five large royal farms, partially exempt from duties on the transportation of goods to Paris (carried out for a long time through the Briare Canal).
Currently, Beaujolais produces an average of 1,400,000 hl of typical red wines (white wine is produced in extremely limited quantities), but - this is the main difference from Burgundy wines - almost exclusively from the Gamay noir variety.
The wines produced are divided into three appellations: Beaujolais, Beaujolais Superior and Beaujolais Village, as well as belonging to the ten "cru": Brouilly, Côte de brouilly, Chenas, Chirouble, Fleury, Morgon, Julienas, Moulin-à-van, Saint-Amour and Rainier.
The Beaujolais and Beaujolais Village appellations can be assigned to red, rosé and white wines, while the Beaujolais Superière appellation is valid only for red and white wines.
The name "cru" is given only to red wines that can legally be claimed as Bourgogne appellation, with the exception of the last one, Rainier.
On both sides of an imaginary line through Villefranche-sur-Saone. Traditionally, North Beaujolais and South Beaujolais are distinguished.
The variety of sepages in Beaujolais is very weak: almost 99% of the area is occupied by the Gamay noir variety. In everyday speech, this variety is often referred to as "Gamay Beaujolais". Driven out of Côte d'Or by the decree of King Philip the Bold, who in 1395 called him a "very treacherous plant" (probably compared to Pinot Noir), Gamay Noir adapts to different soils and grows in different climates.
Remarkably established in the Beaujolais land, the game noir vines have characteristic drooping branches and need support for the first ten years to form. Therefore, in the north of the region one can see allotments with poles-supports. This variety is very sensitive to spring frosts, as well as to the main pests and diseases of the vine. The buds may open early, at the end of March, but most often this happens in the second week of April. Therefore, a local saying goes: "If the vine shines on St. George, then the grapes will ripen in time." Flowering occurs in the first half of June, and grape harvest begins in mid-September.
Other sepages of the appellation include Pinot Noir, which produces red and rosé wines, Chardonnay and Aligote, which produces white wine. Until 2015, a threshold of 15% of all sepages is set for allotments of Pinot Noir; replanting in the vineyards of seedlings of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, as well as Chardonnay, Melon and Aligote in the amount of 15% is allowed for the production of red and rosé wines.
All wines in Beaujolais are produced according to the same principle: respect for the integrity of the bunch, combined with a short maceration (from three to seven days, depending on the type of wine). This method combines classical alcoholic fermentation in 10-20% of the total volume of must obtained in the vat and intracellular fermentation, as a result of which the malic acid contained in the grapes is split and specific aromas appear.
Thanks to this technology, Beaujolais wines acquire a special texture and a special aromatic palette, which is enhanced or replenished with new shades, depending on the terroir. It also shows why it is so difficult to ensure the perfection of ecological work: the change in the volume of wort relative to the total volume is different in each case.
Schematically, Beaujolais wines can be described as dry, low tannins, flexible, fresh, very aromatic, with an alcohol content of 12°-13°.
One of the features of the Beaujolais vineyards is the use of share-cropping inherited from the past: the harvest and some expenses are divided equally between the tenant and the owner, who provides land, housing, vats and large wine-making equipment, as well as processing substances and seedlings. But the terms of the contract may be different. The vintner or tenant-shareholder who owns the vineyard tool provides the labor force, bears the costs associated with harvesting, and keeps the vines in perfect condition.
Share-share contracts, which come into effect on St. Martin's Day (November 11), are attractive to many farmers. This system exploits 46% of the area, competing with direct use (45%). 9% of the area is leased for a cash payment.
You can often meet land users who are both owners of several allotments and sharecroppers. Typical Beaujolais farms occupy 7-10 hectares. In the cru zone, where share-cropping prevails, there are smaller areas, and in the south, where mixed crops are cultivated, they are larger. Nineteen cooperative cellars produce 30% of the total volume of produced wines.
The right to be called “wine primer” or “new wine” is given only to rosé and red wines of the Beaujolais and Beaujolais village appellations. These wines, originally obtained from grapes grown on the granite sands of some areas of Beaujolais Village, are vinified after a short maceration of about four days, and as a result the wine acquires a delicate character, pleasant fluidity, not too bright color and fruity aromas, such as ripe banana. Regulations specify analytical standards and requirements for bringing products to market. Starting on the third Thursday of November, these young wines are considered ready for tasting around the world.
From December 15, after analysis and tasting, all other AOC Beaujolais wines begin to go on sale. Sales of these wines reach their peak after Easter. The wines of the Beaujolais region are not intended for long storage. But if in most cases they are drunk within two years after harvest, the best samples can be evaluated even after 10 years. The attractiveness of these wines lies in their freshness, refined aromas, with hints of flowers - peony, rose, violet, iris, as well as fruits - apricot, cherry, peach and red berries.
Based on materials from the Hachette guide
Beaujolais Nouveau
Beaujolais Nouveau(Beaujolais Nouveau) is the name given to the wines of Beaujolais and Beaujolais Village, which go on sale immediately after harvest. Perhaps the most famous wine from the game variety.
This thin red wine with aromas of fruit and berries - the first in a series of vintages of French wines - breaks into the international market with a bang every year.
A simple wine made from freshly harvested grapes quenched the thirst of Beaujolais winemakers for centuries at the end of the harvest year, but did not go beyond Beaujolais until the middle of the 20th century. After the Second World War, following changes in the appellation rules, young Beaujolais began to be widely sold throughout France. His appearance was often accompanied by the slogan "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!" “Young Beaujolais has arrived!”
Beaujolais vintners quickly grasped the marketing potential of the country's first vintage and made a big splash out of the race to bring the first bottle of the new vintage to Paris, starting to promote the nouveau style, which aroused interest not only in France but also abroad. In the 1970s and 80s, the idea of Beaujolais Nouveau became an international wine phenomenon, especially popular in the USA, Japan and Germany.
According to French law, the sale of new wine can begin no earlier than the first minute after midnight on the third Thursday in November.
Wine Beaujolais Nouveau It is made from the Gamay variety and can be red or pink (rose). This does not apply, of course, to Beaujolais Blanc wines.
The color of Beaujolais Nouveau is bright, with a purple tint. The aroma is often compared to cherry caramels, red plums, bananas and even chewing gum.
Beaujolais Nouveau is produced in a special way - carbon dioxide maceration, which results in a light-bodied wine, almost devoid of tannins. Such wine is not suitable for storage and even more so for aging.
Much of Beaujolais Nouveau is made from grapes grown in southern Beaujolais, in the plains south of León. For more serious wines, Beaujolais uses grapes from the hilly northern part of the region.
In the southern, or "lower" (Ba Beaujolais, Bas Beaujolais), part of the region, there is more clay in the soil, and it does not warm the vineyards as well as the drier granite soils in the northern part. Therefore, grapes grown in the south do not have sufficient bouquet complexity at the end of ripening. But at the same time, it is more watery and fruity, which is more suitable for the Beaujolais Nouveau style. However, "nouveau" can also be produced within the Beaujolais Village appellation, which is assigned to the vineyards of the northern part of Beaujolais.
Grapes for Beaujolais must be harvested by hand. There are only two regions in France where manual collection is mandatory. The second such region is Champagne.
The term "Nouveau"(fr. new) applies not only to the wines of Beaujolais, for which he is famous. Wine in the style of "nouveau" is also made in the Macon and Ventoux appellations. The term primeur is similar in meaning to nouveau, but is rarely used in this context.
Today, the popularity of Beaujolais Nouveau is not what it used to be, as consumers have begun to prefer more complex wines. Since the 1980s, sales of Beaujolais Nouveau have declined quite significantly. However, about half of all Beaujolais wines are still sold as Nouveau.
Sourced from wine-searcher.com
Is there a wine more French than Beaujolais? This name in our imagination so convincingly evokes the appearance of a mustachioed pastoral Frenchman, always in a beret, a striped blue and white T-shirt, often drinking with a flask of red sparkling wine ... Standard thoughts of foreigners about the inhabitants of France revolve around such irreverently splashing wine, originally from southern Burgundy.
Of course, this is a different Burgundy - different grape varieties, winemaking technologies have changed a long time ago. At the same time, the inhabitants of Beaujolais also changed. Now they are smarter and richer, and the rest of the world, after a long journey, has accepted their national wine. They can afford to sit absolutely still, enjoying the beauty of the hills, which have made this area the most romantic and attractive of all.
Beaujolais Nouveau used to be the first wine of the new vintage, fun and effervescent. But then other parts of Europe were able to get on the Nouveau podium, Novello wines came from Italy and other Nouveaus from other areas of France. Then Australia began to produce its own new vintage wines. Meanwhile, Beaujolais is getting more expensive.
At some point, it became completely uninteresting to pay the already high price for the young French wine Beaujolais, which had lost its magical radiance. And the rest of the species began to seem not very valuable. Cost rises while standards stagnate. And anyone who wanted to try the fruity tones of these wines could get them much cheaper in the wines of Central, Southern or Eastern Europe. And again, let's turn to high-class Beaujolais drinks. Some of them may be more concentrated, serious, but not so serious for the prices that are asked for them.
Things are looking up for Beaujolais at the moment. Prices are still too high for what is essentially an everyday, banal wine. The reason for this is also that even the wealthy Swiss use everything they can get. Demand is quite high, especially for Cru wines. As a result, winemaking began to pay a little more attention.
Wine styles and grape varieties
There is actually a fairly good white Beaujolais that has an astringent dryness. It is closer to the northern Chablis than to the sunny, soft and oily wines of Southern Burgundy. In addition, the grapes are the best of the white Chardonnay varieties of Burgundy.
It should immediately be noted that the best manufacturers red Beaujolais: Duboeuf and Charmet. You can certainly make white wine from black Gamay, only it has a more important purpose - this is the only grape variety from which you can make "le Beaujolais", and it is red in the eyes of the whole planet!
Good round dry Beaujolais wine is made from Gamay also in a huge number of other areas of the country, only if it was grown even a little north of Beaujolais, it turns out to be unattractively tart and heavy. Yet on these granite slopes, which extend into the Massif Central of France from the Saone Valley, one of the most bubbling, drinkable and juicy wines that can be found in the world can be obtained.
Since the moment when there were no complaints about the “gamy” and grapes, there were no complaints about the Beaujolais wine either. It should be drunk young, with pleasure and in large sips. Some premium drinks improve with age, most of them don't. And they have no chance to ripen: they are drunk immediately, like Beaujolais Nouveau.
Wine "Beaujolais": types
Now let's deal with the varieties of wines. The classification for Beaujolais is very important - it is divided into 3 geographical categories.
Beaujolais Superieur
The name applies to all major wines. The word "Superieur" indicates that the drink contains a high percentage of alcohol, which is not a guarantee of quality wine. Almost 2/3 of the harvest goes to the production of Nouveau, therefore, the rest of the Beaujolais is cane, rather thin.
The best producers are Charmet, Cellier des Samsons, Jaffelin Duboeuf and Drouhin.
Beaujolais Villages
This appellation includes 39 villages producing above average Beaujolais wine (especially Lancie, Beaujeu, Leynes, Lantignie, St-Etienne-des-Ouillieres, Quincie, St-Jean-d'Ardieres). Drinks are good, usually they have a pronounced cherry flavor.
The best manufacturers are: Descom-bes, Aucoeur, Pivot and Domaine Perrier.
Beaujolais cru
These Growth or Cru are high-class villages, so each of their wines must be given a separate characterization.
Julienas. Capable of producing top notch Beaujolais wines, but the bulk of her drinks are reminiscent of the blend of soft chocolate tone and fresh red fruit that characterizes a quality Fleurie. It doesn't get worse with age, it's only better to drink young. The best producers are Pctletier, Duboeuf and Descombes.
St Amour. This Beaujolais wine usually has ripe fruit flavors and a fresh peach aroma when attacked. Basically, this is the most pleasant and reliable Cru. The best manufacturers: Patissier, Billards, Spay and Revillon.
Chenas. Another strong, strong wine. When aging, it tastes like Burgundy. The best producers: Champag-pop, Braillon, Daniel Robin and Lapierre.
Moulin-a-Vent. This is a heavy wine. These drinks, strong and solid, need to be aged for about 3-5 years. They have a very strong plum, somewhat burgundy style. They do not often respond to the usual look at Beaujolais: the wine is too serious for this. The best producers: Char-vet, Champagnon, Duboeuf, Chauvet, Janodet.
Fleurie. Mostly round and soft, with chocolate and cherry flavors and a small amount of acidity and tannin. The best manufacturers are: Fessy, Duboeuf, Fleurie and Paul.
Morgon. Some of these wines deserve to be among the famous Beaujolais. Rough and darkish when young, they can acquire a plum-chocolate luxurious depth with age. The main amount, however, matures quickly and is very light. The best producers are: Descombes, Charvet, Savoye and Lapierre.
Chirnubles. Fragrant, light, cherry tone of this wine is ideal for early drinking. The best manufacturers are Passot, Javernand and Duboeuf.
Wine Beaujolais Regnie. This is the youngest Cru in warm years, incredibly attractive, but the grapes do not ripen in cool years. The best manufacturers: Duboeuf.
Cote de Brouilly. It grows on the hillsides in the center of Brouilly. Here the wines are stronger and fuller, since these are the southern slopes. The best manufacturers: Geoffray, Conroy, Thivin and Ravier.
Brouilly. Basically the lightest of the Cru. It should be drunk in the best way at the age of one year. The best producers: Chateau des Tours, Hospices de Deaujeu, Fessy.
Beaujolais Nouveau
This is a vintage young wine, which goes on sale in the year of collection. It starts on sale on the 3rd Wednesday of November at midnight, at the age of two months. Basically, it improves in the bottle for several months, while in good years it can be stored until the summer.
Companies
Trading houses in the sale of drinks play an important role. Some growers produce and sell their own wine. Also important are cooperatives that sell most of their own wine to tourists and merchant houses.
Reading the label
If the wine comes from a trading house, you need to make sure that it was bottled in this region. But many seek anonymity. At the same time, the label with the name of one vineyard is an excellent sign of Duboeuf, which produces the bulk of such drinks.
About taste
It is worth noting that from the "gamay" a bright red, strong, fresh-frosty wine is obtained. It smells of peaches, raspberries and cherries and has a rare feature for red wines - it perfectly quenches thirst.
How to drink?
This wine can be drunk when, how and with anyone. You don't even need glasses - glass slippers, teacups, or paper cups are fine. You can consume it cold or warm, although it is still better to get to the refrigerator. It can be assumed that for the amount you paid for a bottle of Beaujolais, you will want to drink it more quietly, with a cheese sandwich or frog legs.
good years
In general, the most recent are the best years for Beaujolais, but 1996 and 1997 are still good for some Crus. Most Gamay wines are fresh, bright red and have a fruity, full taste. Only now the fruity aroma can fizzle out very quickly, and then you no longer feel that you are drinking real Beaujolais.
What am I crying for?
There are a lot of worthless Beaujolais on the market today, and in the hands of a bad dealer, these 10 Crus will hardly live up to their reputation. All Crus are very expensive, with the exception of the less fashionable Cote de Brouilly and Julienas.
Availability:
Some wines can be found in most stores, but its decline in popularity shows that the selection is much smaller than it used to be.
There is decent wine in every vintage, but in rainy years it can be quite thin. Wines are generally drinkable in the year of bottling, only top quality drinks must be aged for at least 3 years.
Most wines are best consumed very young to experience that explosion of tangy fresh fruit with a slight cherry note. When aged, the best Beaujolai Crus can take on a strong plum flavor, more like Burgundy, while still smelling distinctly of Beaujolais.
Feast of the New Beaujolais
Beaujolais Nouveau Day appeared in the country in the middle of the last century and had an exclusively commercial basis. Wine from grapes "Gamay", which is traditionally grown in Beaujolais, is noticeably inferior in quality to the products of Bordeaux and Burgundy winemakers.
Some monarchs even called Beaujolais "disgusting swill", forbidding it to be served at the table. Basically, Beaujolais is not suitable for long-term storage, but it matures much faster than Burgundy or Bordeaux wines, and at a young age it has a fairly rich aromatic and flavor bouquet.
Winemakers, on reflection, decided to turn the shortcomings of their product for good and proclaimed the third Thursday of November as a holiday for Beaujolais wine. As a result, this advertising and marketing move turned out to be a success, and now the day of the appearance of Beaujolais Nouveau on sale is already celebrated in many countries of the world.
Beaujolais: reviews
Judging by the reviews, this is not the most refined wine imaginable. But many people say that it is thanks to the New Wine Festival that they manage to get together with a company of relatives and friends and spend the evening joyfully and as carefree as in their youth. Of course, the drink is not as noble as the rarer, more expensive and aged wines. But due to its amazing youth and lightness, it fills everyone who has tried it at least once with fun. And therefore, it is not at all surprising that almost all over the planet, lovers are so actively waiting and celebrating the day of the young Beaujolais wine with pleasure, and in Russia in particular.