Features and rules for the use of Beaujolais - wines of "infant" age. Wine from Beaujolais How flaws turn into virtues

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.

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, as you know, is washed 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 "crus": 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 called "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 predominates, 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.

According to the guide Hachette

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 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

Wine lovers from all over the world look forward to the 3rd Thursday of November each year. This day in France crowns the Beaujolais feast. There is a long and heated debate about him.

Some people argue that this is a super-successful marketing ploy by French winemakers, which allows them to earn huge money on fairly mediocre wine. Others say that Beaujolais wine is a unique product that deserves a holiday in its honor.

Let each person answer this question for himself. I just want to note that Beaujolais Day is a beautiful tradition that adds another drop of national color to this amazing European country.

Beaujolais nouveau (Beaujolais nouveau) is a young wine that is produced exclusively from the black game grape variety in Burgundy. It is distinguished by a rich ruby ​​color and a deep aroma, in which sommeliers distinguish tart cherry, redcurrant and raspberry notes. Fortress Beaujolais Nouveau is 12 degrees.

Many copies have been broken around the taste of this wine. This is due to the "infant" age of the drink. Beaujolais nouveau starts to sell exactly at the moment when fermentation is completed. Thus, only a month and a half passes from the day of the grape harvest to the presentation of the drink on the shop windows. For wine, this situation is, to put it mildly, unusual.

Nevertheless, it has an incredibly light, albeit harsh taste. In any case, the multi-million army of fans of this drink speaks for itself.

A few words about the holiday

Beaujolais New Harvest Festival appeared in France not so long ago. Its origins should be sought in the middle of the 20th century. In such a short period of time, it has become not even a national, but a world tradition.

The celebration starts in the small town of Bozho. In the evening, local winemakers, armed with lit torches, appear on the central square of the city, where barrels of young Beaujolais nouveau are placed in advance.

And then comes the wine New Year! Exactly at midnight, plugs are knocked out of the barrels. Streams of wine of the new harvest fill the substituted glasses. It is easy to guess about the further development of events. However, it is better to visit this event in person once in a lifetime. In terms of scale, this grandiose celebration can rightfully be compared with the most popular beer festival in Germany, which everyone knows as.

How to drink Beaujolais Nouveau?

First of all, I want to draw the attention of all wine lovers to its unique feature. The fact is that Beaujolais has an expiration date. It usually takes 4 to 5 months. Therefore, if someone decides to let the wine brew to improve the taste, then you should not do this. Otherwise, your celebration of the new Beaujolais Nouveau will be hopelessly ruined.

This fact should be remembered when buying it. It is customary to sell wines of this brand until March of the next year inclusive.

Before serving, the wine must be cooled to a temperature of 12-13 degrees. Then pour the drink into classic wine glasses and start tasting.

What to eat?

The French themselves refer to Beaujolais as a universal drink that can be consumed from late morning until late at night. Not surprisingly, the appetizers served with it are constantly changing.

There are several classic dishes that traditionally eat Beaujolais. These include: camembert cheese, oxtail chowder, Béarnian fatty cabbage and goose soup, poached eggs, goose liver pâté, egg omelet with black pudding, and all poultry dishes.

Features of production and varieties

In the production of Beaujolais Nouveau, whole bunches of grapes are sent to special tanks, which are then filled with carbon dioxide. This process is called carbonic or carbonic maceration.

This process takes 5 to 6 days. As a result, grape juice comes out of the berries without any additional manipulations. At the end of maceration, the grapes are additionally pressed.

After that, the actual fermentation begins. It also lasts a short time of 25-35 days. As soon as Beaujolais ferments, the wine is bottled and sold.

The most popular brands of Beaujolais are:

• Albert Bichot;
• Domaine Yvon Metras;
• Georges Duboeuf;
• Louis Jadot;
• Jean-Paul Thevenet.

For those who want to taste this unusual drink, I advise you to start your acquaintance with it with a bottle of Beaujolais Village. This is a truly festive and fun 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.

Beaujolais - as is often the case with wine - is the name of a 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 obtained already very bright, complex and deep, in order to still allow them to mature in the cellar, usually relying on 10-15 years.

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 - they are 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.

Beaujolais can be white, and pink, and, as most often happens, red.

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 in nature - 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.

Wines Beaujolais - one of the best choices in terms of "price - quality." Objectively: wines from more expensive price categories, as a rule, have the same high taste and aroma characteristics that Beaujolais receives from connoisseurs.

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.

A bit of mythology in the subject 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.

In Beaujolais, most of the vineyards are small plots (from 1 to 12 hectares) 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.

The Beaujolais Vineyard Road passes between 150 castles and 177 wine cellars, which are happy to welcome all travelers. 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.

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.

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 - "tender and fruity" like Beaujolais Village.

Enjoy your evenings in search of truth (which is known in what).

Thanks for the information provided