Wines from Beaujolais

Beaujolais is home to the southernmost terroirs of Burgundy. The Gamay grape grows here in granite schist rich soil and on vines that were planted mostly after the French Revolution. The wines here undergo a unique vinification process: carbon dioxide is used to encourage the grapes to burst so as to heighten aromatic intensity. What’s more, the grape are neither crushed nor destemmed and barrel ageing is practically unheard of meaning that wines are often made within a couple of months as the bottling process is also swift. Wines from this region are fruit forward, fresh and delicate and are generally designed to be drunk young. The Gamay grape is almost certainly an old mutation of the Pinot Noir grape and wines made from it have distinct boiled sweets and banana aromas. In the past it was often overlooked in favour of Pinot Noir. In fact, in 1395 the duke of Burgundy Philippe le Hardi ordered all Gamay vines in the Côte d’Or to be destroyed! It has taken a long time for Gamay to rid itself of its bad reputation but today, Gamay is a well-known and popular grape variety.