Beaujolais
In my early drinking years, French wine scared me. It seemed unapproachable, pretentious, and I couldn’t pronounce a lot of the labels. I was also content enjoying my local offerings in Washington State. I’m sure I tried a Provencal rose or a Bordeaux blend at some point, but paid little mind to it. The first French wine I really remember grabbing my attention was a sweet, young and fruity wine that tasted like candy. It was Beaujolais Nouveau and, in my twenties, it was fun, delicious, and opened the door to French wine for me. My older, more refined palate, however, might pass over this sweet stuff for the more sophisticated version, but I’m not too proud to admit I still kind of like it (scoff all you want, you can’t change me!).
Beaujolais is one of my absolute favorite types of wine. Made from the lovely Gamay Noir grape, it's a delightfully light bodied, fresh, and fruity red wine, best served at just below room temperature and can be enjoyed year-round.
November, however, is the month of Beaujolais Nouveau - a super young (7- to 9-week-old) wine released on the third Thursday of November each year. This originated in the early 20th century as a way for winemakers to make extra income during the off season. By mid century, it had gained quite a bit of success, as the young wine is sweet and fruity, displaying youthful flavors of bubblegum and melted popsicles (apparently it's not uncommon for children to enjoy a small glass of this stuff). The fad was a successful PR stunt, though not as popular today; Nouveau wines can often be found in wine retail shops for a short time in late-November.
As delicious as bubblegum and popsicles might sound to some of you, Nouveau is nothing compared to the beautifully crafted old-style Beaujolais wines. The Beaujolais region produces wines in three ascending categories: Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages, and Beaujolais Cru. The older style wines generally fall under Beaujolais-Villages or -Cru. Many of these vineyards are planted in the northern part of the region in granite-rich soils, in 10 distinct Crus (or villages). The Crus include (from north to south): St. Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly.
These wines are easy to drink, with a refreshing acidity, lower alcohol content and fragrant notes of flowers, cherries, berries and stone fruit, along with a bit of pepper and maybe some earthy notes as well. Some can be surprisingly rich for as light bodied as they are. And some can drink like a white wine in disguise.
The winemaking process is something to note as well - fermented through a lesser-common process called carbonic maceration (oh, do I love me some carbonic maceration!), where hand-harvested clusters of grapes (stems and all) are placed in a fermentation tank. The grapes on the bottom of the tank become crushed by the weight of the grapes on top, releasing their juice, which interacts with the natural yeasts on the grape skins and, thus, begins to ferment. The CO2 released from the juice at the bottom of the tank rises and causes the grapes at the top to burst under the pressure, releasing their juice, continuing the fermentation process. The fermented grape juice is allowed to rest in tanks for up to several months before bottling, developing depth and character. This process allows the wine to retain the fresh flavors Beaujolais is known for.
It’s worth noting that Beaujolais is home to at least 300 different types of soil, each contributing unique flavor profiles to their wine. A large-scale study was completed between 2009 and 2018 to identify these diverse soils types. Having a better understanding of the soil their vineyards are planted in allows winemakers to craft the perfect bottle of wine to represent the unique terroir of a given vineyard.
Beaujolais pairs with a wide range of foods. Its light body and low tannins allow it to pair well with white meats, while the high acidity will cut through dishes with a higher fat content - it's a perfect wine to pair with your holiday meals or the next potluck.
