What does Beaujolais mean in French?
Beaujolais (/ˌboʊʒəˈleɪ/ BOH-zhə-LAY, French: [boʒɔlɛ]) is a French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wine generally made of the Gamay grape, which has a thin skin and is low in tannins.
Is Beaujolais cheap wine?
Beaujolais Nouveau can typically be found for well under $20, and even a great producer’s Beaujolais Cru represents excellent value: The best of them can be aged for years (sometimes a decade or more), and they tend to cost a fraction of their red-wine neighbors in Burgundy.
What are the three different quality levels of Beaujolais?
The wines of Beaujolais are divided into three in three Classifications: Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages, and Beaujolais Crus.
- Beaujolais AOC. Straightforwardly delicious wines, coming mostly from the south.
- Beaujolais Villages AOC.
- Beaujolais Crus.
Is Beaujolais the same as Burgundy?
Not only are they close, the Beaujolais region is, technically speaking, part of the same administrative region as Burgundy. But Beaujolais isn’t Burgundy. It’s very much its own thing, with its own terroir, history, winemaking styles, personalities. And important for most of us wine lovers: with much lower prices.
Should Beaujolais wine be chilled?
Beaujolais likes to be cool, as we have seen, but not cold. Avoid using the fridge for longer than an hour otherwise you will mute the flavours and impede the characteristics of the wine. You need to pander to the wine’s whims and not impair its aromas with a temperature that is too low or even ice cold.
Is Pinot Noir the same as Beaujolais?
Both grapes also have high acidity and a red fruit sweetness. However, Pinot Noir imparts a floral essence, the Gamay grape of Beaujolais offers more minerality. Despite their individual nuances, both wines impart the same body to the wine, especially when comparing a 100-percent Pinot Noir to a Beaujolais.
Do you refrigerate Beaujolais?
Avoid the fridge!
Beaujolais likes to be cool, as we have seen, but not cold. Avoid using the fridge for longer than an hour otherwise you will mute the flavours and impede the characteristics of the wine.
When should I drink Beaujolais?
Given that Beaujolais is light and fruit-driven, most wines are best consumed within the first year or two of bottling (apart from Beaujolais Nouveau, which should be consumed as soon as possible). The best cru Beaujolais, however, is capable of aging for up to 10 years.
What is the best year for Beaujolais?
2019 is probably the most consistently exciting vintage for Beaujolais since 1976, although we still have a soft spot for 2015. These wines have the classic lively acidity and vibrant aromas of the region’s reds from the indigenous gamay grape with lots of floral, spice and licorice notes.
Do you chill Beaujolais?
What is the best way to serve Beaujolais?
Beaujolais crus are best drunk at between 15°C and 17°C, especially for the well structured crus like Moulin-à-Vent, Morgon, Juliénas and Chénas; 17°C is recommended for wines over 3 years old. Younger wines need to be cooler: Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais Villages Nouveau live up to expectations at 12°C.
What is special about Beaujolais?
Beaujolais nouveau’s unique fruitiness and drinkability come from a winemaking process called carbonic maceration. Rather than being destemmed upon arrival at the winery, the gamay grapes are left in whole bunches. The bunches are put into closed fermenter tanks, which are pumped full of carbon dioxide gas.
What do you eat Beaujolais with?
Our 5 All-time Favorite Beaujolais Pairings
- Fleurie + Roasted Chicken.
- Morgon + Steak Frites.
- Moulin-à-Vent + Mushrooms.
- Juliénas + Glazed Ham.
- Brouilly + Salad Lyonnaise.
Do you put Beaujolais in the fridge?
How long can you keep Beaujolais wine?
Enjoy your glass of Beaujolais Nouveau’s fruit flavors within six months or a year of its bottling. If you’re lucky, you can even store a good and rare vintage for over 2 to 3 years.
What food do you pair with Beaujolais?
Beaujolais is a wine that is enjoyed with any course of the meal, or by itself when you want a glass of red. They go well with French classics—pâtés, terrines, rillettes, saucisson sec—and with the cheese course, from white-rinded cheeses such as Brie and Camembert to more flavorful and pungent cheeses.
When should you drink Beaujolais?
Should Beaujolais be chilled?
How do you drink Beaujolais?
Serve It Chilled. The light body and fruit-forward profile of Beaujolais Nouveau – or any Gamay – lends itself to drinking with a slight chill. It’s recommended that most red wines are drunk at cellar temperature, between 53-65°F (12-18°C).
What cheese goes with Beaujolais wine?
Beaujolais matches well with soft and semi-soft cheeses. Comté, Brie, Swiss Cheese, Camembert and Feta are some of the cheeses which go well with Beaujolais Nouveau.
What meat goes with Beaujolais?
Beaujolais’ fruitiness matches well with sweet and savory flavours, but especially with white meats like chicken and turkey. Beaujolais Nouveau is also known as the perfect Thanksgiving wine.