Beaujolais wine is a very light-bodied fruity red wine, produced in the Beaujolais region of France. This wine made from the Gamay grape, is light fruity red wine which are perfect for light lunchtime drinking, and recent vintages have been the best ever.
 Availble at Majestic Wine  |  Available at Majestic Wine |  Available at Majestic Wine |
Beaujolais wines made from the Gamay grape. Gamay is nearly the only grape grown in France’s Beaujolais region, makes wines that embody everything that region is known for: light, fruity, easy-to-drink reds, ideal for a party or a picnic.
Typically these wines are not aged in oak barrels and are released early. Beaujolais Nouveau, appears on the shelves just a month after the grapes are harvested, is the extreme example. The 38 of the Beaujolais Villages within the region have better soil and microclimates that produce higher quality grapes and thus higher quality wine than the rest of the region are the Beaujolais villages wines. Beaujolais from the region’s ten crus, can be wonderfully structured and some can even age. Little Gamay is grown outside of Beaujolais, but what has been planted pairs well with the same foods as Beaujolais: light chicken dishes, salads, cheeses and charcuterie.
A Beaujolais wine can be:
- Beaujolais: wine produced somewhere in the Beaujolais region. This wine is at least 9% alcohol
- Beaujolais Superieor contains 10% alcohol
- Beaujolais-Villages comes villages within the region with better soil and microclimates which produce higher quality grapes and thus higher quality wine than the rest of the region. Beauolais Villages is the intermediate category in terms of classification of these exciting wines. Wine is at least 10% alcohol.
- Cru Beaujolais is the best of the Beaujolais wines. Ten of the villages are recognized as being the best and wines from these villages are designated Cru Beaujolais.
- Beaujolais Nouveau is the latest vintage released at midnight on the third Thursday of November. The release of the Nouveau is now celebrated by wine drinkers worldwide.
- Beaujolais Blanc or Rose accounts for 2% of wine produced in the region.
Beaujolais wine is very inexpensive and an excellent choice of wine which is often a “fun” wine on most wine drinker’s lists. Naturally, the Cru Beaujolais is the best. Beaujolais Nouveau is always cheap and festive, it does not age well. A decent Cru Beaujolais can be purchased for less than $20 and a good example of Beaujolais-Villages costs just under $15.
Beaujolais Blanc & Beaujolais Rosé
A small amount of Beaujolais Blanc or Beaujolais-Villages Blanc is produced each year using Chardonnay or Aligote which is grown in the region. Beaujolais Rosé is occasionally made from that Gamay grape within the Beaujolais region.
