It’s spring, and I find the changing times of the spring and autumn seasons just right for a glass (or two) of Beaujolais. Who’s with me on this?
Just about any Beaujolais will do. This relatively light red is made from the Gamay grape in the rolling hills and plains of this region that liess between Bourgogne and the Northern Rhône. Situated near the French gastronomic center, Lyon, it has a long heritage as a versatile wine that gets its job done at the dinner table.
Beajolais is lighter and theoretically simpler than the wines of its Burgundian neighbor, where the 14th Century Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy so despised the purported inferiority of Gamay that he outlawed it in Bourgogne in 1395. The persnickety duke ordered all of Bourgogne’s Gamay vines ripped out by the roots and replaced with Pinot Noir.
“Fine,” the vine growers of Beaujolais might have said. “More for us.” For the next few centuries though, Beaujolais remained lightly regarded. …
Beaujolais vineyards. (Photo from Decanter magazine, Sept. 1, 2001)
… But within the last few generations, thanks to canny marketing – largely by Georges Duboeuf, whose name became almost synonymous with the region – Beaujolais has joined the ranks of the world’s most popular wines.
There’s plenty of Beaujolais to choose from, and a lot it comes from the industrial-scale production at Georges Duboeuf. But as with so many wines, it’s worth looking up smaller, artisanal-scale producers to take a step upward in quality and flavor interest. Among many, I’m a fan of the Beaujolais portfolio of Jean-Paul Brun’s Domaine des Terres Dorees, whose Beaujolais Vielles Vignes “L’Ancienne” is our featured tasting report this week.
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