Beaujolais Wines

Beaujolais is world-renowned, particularly for its primeur wine. Beaujolais wines offer excellent value for money. As with Champagne, the Beaujolais appellation requires winemakers to harvest their grapes by hand. The grape varieties used are Gamay for red wine (95% of production) and Chardonnay for white wine. 

Beaujolais is part of the Burgundy wine region. About half of the wines are sold underthe Beaujolais appellation. They are produced in the southern part of the wine region. The second most important appellation, Beaujolais-Villages, is located in the northern part. Ten villages within this area are authorized to include their names on the label. Beaujolais also includes 10 municipal appellations known as the “crus du Beaujolais ”: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly, and Côte-de-Brouilly.

The Beaujolais wine region covers an area of 22,870 hectares. It stretches across the foothills of the Massif Central, west of the Saône River, between Mâcon and Lyon. It enjoys a climate that gives it its unique character: continental in winter, oceanic in the shoulder seasons, and Mediterranean in summer.

The Beaujolais wine region began to develop in the 2nd century, with the arrival of the Romans. Thanks to a well-oriented terroir, the proximity of the Saône and Rhône rivers, and the growth of neighboring towns, wine production intensified in the 17th century. With its rich and complex geology, the Beaujolais region is a candidate for the “geopark” designation awarded by UNESCO.