Beaujolais wines, perfect for sunny days, even the reds!

When the warmer weather returns, lunches and other convivial gatherings multiply, inviting sharing. Renowned for their light and flavorful character, Beaujolais wines, whether red, white, or rosé, are the ideal partners for your future tastings!

Discover the selection of Beaujolais wines from Les Grappes !

Beaujolais reds, wines to be served chilled

The perfect match for summer

To make Beaujolais red wines, the only grape variety used is Gamay. Known for producing fruity and light red wines, Gamay is even better when served slightly chilled. Yes, there's more to summer than just white and rosé!

A Beaujolais or Beaujolais Villages is ideal for pairing with a mixed salad, a charcuterie board, or grilled meats. These wines are prized for their deliciousness and lightness. With their fruity aromas, they perfectly complement the sunny flavors of summer dishes. On very hot days, their generally low alcohol content allows for enjoyable drinking without adding any heaviness.

The Beaujolais wines

In the north of the vineyard, 10 crus stand out from the Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages AOCs: Juliénas, Saint-Amour, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côtes-de-Brouilly.

Coming from plots with different soils, subsoils and exposures, each vintage has a specific profile but all allow for a balance of character and accessibility.

During the summer months, certain wines are particularly enjoyable. Fleurie , with its delicate and elegant profile, is ideal as an aperitif or with a dish of white meat and vegetables. Its fresh, floral aromas balance the richer, fruitier notes.

Brouilly , with its delicious notes of strawberry, raspberry, or plum, is the quintessential convivial wine. It will accompany all your friendly or family gatherings during the warmer months.

White Beaujolais, a rarity

Where can I find white Beaujolais?

Beaujolais Blanc is produced in the Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages appellation areas, in the southern part of the region. Of the 3,000 vineyards, nearly 500 produce white wine, and almost 2 million bottles are sold each year.

What grape variety is used for Beaujolais Blanc?

It is the Chardonnay, a world-renowned grape variety, that is cultivated and used to produce the white wines of Beaujolais.

It produces attractive wines with a golden color and aromas of white-fleshed fruit and citrus. On the palate, Beaujolais Blanc wines are rather full-bodied, with a pleasant finish.

Beaujolais Villages white wines, on the other hand, offer a more floral and mineral profile and display a beautiful aromatic intensity. Although they are generally consumed young, they can be aged for a few years to allow them to express their complexity and intensity.

More and more wine lovers are being won over by the tenderness and freshness of these wines, which can be enjoyed as an aperitif but also with dishes featuring fish, poultry, or rabbit. They are also appreciated on cheese platters, particularly with goat cheese, or with desserts like tiramisu.

Beaujolais rosé

In Beaujolais, summer rhymes with rosé! Hidden in the shadow of their big brothers, the red wines, the rosés of the region have nevertheless been enjoying growing renown for some years now.

Granted AOC status in 1937, Beaujolais rosé is produced in the Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages AOCs, the two largest appellations in the vineyard. The wines are made from the Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc grape variety.

What distinguishes them from red wines are the production techniques. Indeed, to obtain a rosé wine, the grape bunches are pressed directly and sometimes undergo a pre-maceration of a few hours. Some winemakers also practice malolactic fermentation, designed to transform malic acid into lactic acid to soften the wine.

Fresh and thirst-quenching wines

Beaujolais rosés offer a beautiful color, ranging from grapefruit to peach. On the nose, they reveal notes of tangy red fruit and citrus, promising a lovely freshness. On the palate, they are truly thirst-quenching and enjoyable wines.

Beaujolais Villages rosé wines have a lighter, clearer color, with pale pink hues. Their nose is fresh and the aromas on the palate are primarily fruity and very fragrant.

If you are looking for a wine to accompany your summer lunches or barbecues, Beaujolais rosés will be perfect, served at a temperature between 8° and 11°C.

Rosé, summer nights

Throughout the year, the Beaujolais region demonstrates great dynamism and inventiveness in terms of cultural, sporting and gastronomic events.

In summer in particular, many events allow you to discover the vineyard and its people, in a friendly and festive atmosphere.

Keen to showcase their expertise, the winemakers of the region organize numerous events in July and August to promote rosé wine tasting: festive evenings, night markets, walks in the vineyards, illumination of monuments in certain towns… “Rosé, summer nights” takes place from Thursday to Sunday throughout July and August.

More information: https://www.destination-beaujolais.com/