Beaujolais wines

Beaujolais is world-famous, not least for its primeur wine. Beaujolais wines offer excellent value for money. As with champagne, the Beaujolais appellation requires growers to harvest by hand. The grape variety is Gamay for red wine (95% of production) and Chardonnay for white wine. 

Beaujolais is part of the Burgundy wine region. Approximately half of the wines sold in this region are under theBeaujolais appellation. These are produced in the southern part of the vineyard. The second most important appellation, Beaujolais-Villages, is located in the northern part. Ten villages within this zone have the right to indicate their name on the label. Beaujolais also includes 10 local appellations known as " crus du Beaujolais ": Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte-de-Brouilly.

The Beaujolais vineyards cover an area of 22,870 hectares. It lies in the foothills of the Massif Central, west of the Saône, between Mâcon and Lyon. Its climate is unique: continental in winter, oceanic between seasons and Mediterranean in summer.

Beaujolais vineyards began to develop in the 2nd century, with the presence of the Romans. Thanks to a well-oriented terroir, the proximity of the Saône and Rhône rivers and the growth of neighboring towns, winegrowing intensified in the 17th century. Heir to a rich and complex geology, the Beaujolais region is a candidate for the Unesco "geopark" label.