If I were to link our last week to one country, it would surely be France. On Monday, we attended a presentation focusing on a magical Hérault region (Languedoc-Rousillon) and local winemakers while on Thursday, Tomasz Prange, the editor-in-chief of ‘ Wino Magazine‘ and one of the biggest wine experts in Poland, invited us to try red wines from the Beaujolais region and then we feasted on French specialties in Le Bistro Rozbrat (review soon!).
So… Beaujolais Nouveau. Have you tried it this year? What’s up with this wine? Why is it drank only (mainly) in November? Why is it so controversial and for years has divided wine experts into those who love it and others who consider it a ‘plonk’ or a ‘juice’? What’s so special about the region Beaujolais Nouveau comes from and what’s with this tradition to drink it in November? Any ideas? I’ll be honest with you: there was a lot I didn’t know about that, but now I know it all! 🙂 And if I know, you should know too. Here’s a short guide:
17 facts you should remember about Beaujolais Nouveau:
1) Beaujolais Nouveau, as the name suggests, is a veeery young red wine that has just started fermenting.
2) It comes from the Beaujolais region in France, located in the south-east corner of Burgundy, however when it comes to climate, it’s much more similar to Rhone Valley – it’s warm, the weather is stable and hills protect the vineyards in Beaujolais from fierce winds. The wine belt is about 150 km long and stretches between Mâcon and Lyon.
3) First vineyards in Beaujolais where already established by the Romans. In 7th century Benedictine monks took over winemaking and for ages it was the Church who was the biggest wine producer locally.
4) Lyon was the main recipient of the Beaujolais wine due to the city being located near and by the river Saona. That’s where the November tradition started. After years of promoting it became known all over the world.
5) After the Rhone-Seine channel was established and the railway was built, wines from Beaujolais arrived in Paris.
6) The tradition of opening young Beaujolais wine precisely on 15th November started in 1951.
7) In the 70s there was even a competition of delivering the first young Beaujolais wine bottle to Paris!
8) Beaujolais Nouveau wine grew more and more popular reaching its peak in mid 80s. Then, it was decided that sticking to a precise date is not too practical because the day of bottle opening may come on Monday or Tuesday. From then on, Beaujolais Nouveau wines are ALWAYS opened on the third Thursday of November. Therefore, the celebration usually lasts from Wednesday until Sunday and 40% of the produce is usually drank at the time.
cheers!
9) Beaujolais wine is produced from gamay grape variety.
10) First notions about this variety date back to 1395!
11) Right now, gamay variety is cultivated in France on more than 30 thousand ha – mostly in Burgundy and Loire Valley. It’s one of the most popular wine varieties in France. It’s gamay that is the link between all Beaujolais wines as specific wines differ due to different cultivation conditions and different soil.
12) Apart from the region, grape variety and the famous event, Beaujolais Nouveau differs from other wines thanks to a distinctive mehod of maceration. The wine is produced using carbonic maceration method where whole grape vines, including the stems, are thrown into a sealed vat where they ferment with no need to crush them, only because of its weight. This production method allows the production of a light and fruity wine.
13) There are 3 appellations in Beaujolais:
– in the North it’s 10 cru-du-beaujolais – that’s where the best wines are produced, they have a long-aging potential and their own name. Beaujolais name is not used.
-10 cru-du-Beaujolais include: light Chirouble, more distinct Chénas, flowery Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent, Morgon, Julienas, Saint-Amour, Régnié (the most criticised one among the experts), Brouilly and Côte de Broully.* We liked Chénas the most. It had very strong and reportedly masculine flavour.
– in the centre of the region Beaujolais-Village appellation wines are produced
– Beaujolais wine is produced in the South. That’s 2/3 of the whole production coming from the region. It’s a mainstream product, sold under common Beaujolais appellation name, no name distinctions. These wines must be drank within three years from production date.
14) Beaujolais Nouveau is produced everywhere in the region. What’s special about it, is the fact that it’s supposed to be consumed shortly after being produced. Why wait? 🙂
15) Right now, vineyards span 18 000 ha all over Beaujolais region. It’s less than 10 or 20 years ago as in the late 90s lots of vines where removed when Beaujolais Nouveau lost its popularity.
16) 47% of Beaujolais Nouveau is exported. It’s more than any other French wine. Do you know which country is the biggest importer of young Beaujolais wine (a few million bottles a year)??? Try to guess!
17) Poland produces young wine that’s opened in November too – it’s called St. Martin’s wine.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau any good or is it just a ‘plonk’? That’s a question you have to answer yourselves! 🙂 It’s not too late to try this year’s young Beaujolais wine:) Even tonight 🙂
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