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  Quaffers® Feature - January 2004
Essential features for wine-lovers...
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| Beaujolais - Burgundy's forgotten frontier? |
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 Situated between Mâcon and Lyon and in the département of Rhône, Beaujolais is the southernmost region of Burgundy.
It has a continental climate, that is to say very hot summers and very cold winters with low to medium rainfall. Despite being the poor cousin of Burgundy, wines from Beaujolais account for 50% of all wine produced in the region.
 Beaujolais has developed an unfortunate reputation over the past few years for producing weak and thin wines rushed out in time for the Beaujolais Nouveau celebration in November each year. It is true that some of these wines have been poor, but here remains a wealth of expertly crafted wines, produced for longer ageing, and which have much to recommend them.
The two main grapes which flourish here are the Gamay for red wines and Chardonnay for the white. Gamay is a relatively easy vine to cultivate as it is hardy and has high yields. It produces wine with good extraction and colour, which may be drunk young. The best examples grow on granite-based soils on south and south-east facing slopes.
Much of the Gamay undergoes a special fermentation process called Carbonic Maceration. This is essentially an anaerobic fermentation which occurs within the grape and without air or yeast. It is essential that the grapes remain whole when emptied into the vats. There is no crushing involved, and harvesting is all done by hand to ensure that the grapes are brought in to the winery in mint condition. The process only lasts for three to eight days and produces wine with good extraction and very low tannin. Often the characteristic aroma of wines which have undergone this process is a combination of banana, bubblegum and strawberry.
Wines from Beaujolais are usually classified into three quality levels: basic Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages and the ten Beaujolais crus. Wines from the ten crus are superior and have individual characterisitics pertaining to that region. The very best can age well and develop in a similar way to the Pinot Noir wines of Burgundy.
The ten crus are as follows:
 
St Amour
Juliénas
Chénas
Moulin-à-Vent
Chiroubles
Fleurie
Morgon
Regnié
Côte de Brouilly
Brouilly
Connoisseurs of Beaujolais wines will be able to tell the different crus apart as they range from delicate and floral to much heavier and meatier styles. There is more to Beaujolais wines than is given credit.
For a fun evening why not invite some friends round to try examples from each of the ten crus and compare and contrast their styles -you will be surprised by the spectrum of characteristics...
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