Beaujolais

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Among the red French wines classified as Burgundy, we usually think of them as being made only from Pinot Noir. However, there is a technically a Burgundy wine made solely from the red grape varietal called Gamay. Gamay, or as it is known locally in “Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc”, accounts for about 98 percent of Beaujolais wine production.

The Beaujolais wine region is a French “appellation d'origine controlee” (or AOC) located in eastern France just north of the city of Lyon. There are ten areas known as “crus” in the region where the best Beaujolais wines are produced. They are named in alphabetical order: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Cote de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin à Vent, Régnié and Saint Amour.

The two larger main regional appellations, called simply Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages, account for most of the Beaujolais wine production of the region. Up to one-third of the product made in these two appellations is sold as Beaujolais Nouveau wine which is released to the public on the third Thursday in November every year as the first wine of the vintage.

White wines produced in Beaujolais are called “Beaujolais Blanc” and are usually made from the Chardonnay grape. In rare instances rosé wine is also produced from Gamay grapes.