NEWS ARCHIVE

Published 25 November 09

Beaujolais Nouveau 2009

The first barrels of the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau were pierced at midnight on the 19th of November in the wine capital of the Beaujeu region, France. Over 5000 party-goers shared in the moment along with official delegations from a number of countries, including the UK, who paraded the ancient streets in traditional costume. The Beaujolais nouveau is exported to 110 countries across the world with the biggest importer being Japan. This unique product serves as a motor for the exportation for the other Beaujolais wines, which includes a number of excellent “crus” such as Fleurie, Moulin au Vent and Cote de Brouilly. 2009 promises to be an excellent vintage largely due to due a favorable climate. The so called lighter wines such as the Beaujolais and Beaujolais village could be of sufficient quality to be kept for 10 to 15 years. The wines are a rich claret colour rarely seen in normal Beaujolais, with aromas of raspberry offering a surprising complexity.

There are twelve main appellations of Beaujolais wines covering the production of more than 96 villages in the Beaujolais region. They were originally established in 1936, with additional crus being promoted in 1938 and 1946, plus Régnié in 1988. About half of all Beaujolais wine is sold under the basic Beaujolais AOC designation. The majority of this wine is produced in the southern Bas Beaujolais region.

Beaujolais AOC is the most extended appellation covering 60 villages, and refers to all basic Beaujolais wines.  A large proportion (about one third in 2008) of the wine produced under this appellation is sold as Beaujolais Nouveau.  It is grown on the Limestone soils in the south of the region as well as alluvial deposits further north in the Saône Valley. These soils are better quality than the granite soils, however they produce a lighter wine.

Beaujolais-Villages AOC, the intermediate category in terms of classification, covers 39 parishes/villages in the Haut Beaujolais, the northern part of the region accounting for a quarter of production. Some is sold as Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, but it is not common. Most of the wines are released in the following March after the harvest. The terrain of this region is hillier with more schist and granite soils compared to that found in the regions of the Beaujolais AOC. As a result the wine has the     potential to be of higher quality.

Why not choose a guided or independent walking holiday in the Beaujolais? Our holidays give you plenty of occasion to try the best wines and to enjoy superb local cuisine.

Find out more about the Beaujolias region

Guided walking holiday Beaujolais

Independent walking holidays