Beaujolais: the perfect red wine for winter drinking
Writing about wine can be just as seasonal as drinking it. As soon as the temperature creeps above 20C, we draft articles about “crisp, refreshing rosés”; when it’s cold, it’s all “warming, robust winter reds”; and on or around the third Thursday in November, we prepare pieces about beaujolais.
This, as I’m sure many of you will be well aware, is all down to beaujolais nouveau, the annual celebration of the first wines of the vintage that has given the region a reputation for conviviality and fun. So much so, in fact, that it has even reached deepest, darkest Swansea. If you haven’t yet seen the BBC Wales news piece about a group of women who spend hundreds of pounds on hair and makeup at 5am to celebrate Beaujolais Day, I implore you to do so right this second (I especially love that there isn’t a glass of red wine in sight). It is unapologetic high camp in its purest form.
Although mainstream appreciation for beaujolais tends to taper off by the start of December, it’s actually quite brilliant for drinking all winter long. Chilled reds aren’t just for summer, they’re made for a winter life “en terrasse” – these are wines that sing when they dip a few degrees below room temperature.
The sheer variety of beaujolais is also flattened by our perceptions of it (aren’t most things?). The region is famous for its pink granite, but the terroir is a diverse mosaic of different soil types – so diverse, in fact, that in 2018 Beaujolais was named a Unesco Global Geopark, after a nine-year field study discovered more than 300 soil variants.
Bog-standard beaujolais is low in tannin and high in frivolity. Beaujolais villages, meanwhile, is a step up in terms of quality and price (but still very much affordable), and the region’s 10 crus offer variety for any genre of red wine drinker, from the floral Saint-Amour in the north right down to the expressive Côte de Brouilly in the south.
And nigh on all of them are a revelation when they are served chilled. I visited the region last spring, for Bien Boire en Beaujolais, where wine professionals can meet hundreds of the region’s wine growers. When I arrived, they were all standing outside in the crisp air, sharing slices of enormous pistachio sausages, buttery potatoes and little glasses of beaujolais wine. The chilled gamay, especially, gave the palate a welcome jolt.
Joe Collier, head sommelier at Maison François in London, knows a thing or two about chilled French reds (the by-the-glass clairet served at sister restaurant Café François is a wintertime must-sip, and best consumed while sitting in one of their sweet rattan chairs). “Cru beaujolais with bottle age is perfect for parties,” he argues. “I had a magnum of Guy Breton Vieilles Vignes with the family recently, having chilled it first outside on the back porch. A good chill on red wines emphasises acidity and fresh fruit, while subduing alcoholic aromas.”
Just don’t put your nice bottle too close to the recycling bin, a mistake I’ve made more times than I’d care to admit.
Four beaujolais for winter drinking
Château d’Emeringes Beaujolais-Villages Vieilles Vignes 2023 £9.95 The Wine Society, 13.5%. The vines used to make this wine are close to the Juliénas cru. This is the cheapest bottle I can find for a producer who punches well above the price.
Morrisons The Best Fleurie £12, 13.5%. A perfectly nice fleurie – the beaujolais cru known for its aromatics. Juicy cherry and violets.
Domaine Saint-Cyr Chénas Robert £23.44 Uncharted Wines, 13%. One of my favourite wines from last year’s trip. Concentrated but joyful dark fruit notes.
Guy Breton Morgon Vieilles Vignes 2022 £32 Swig, 12.5%. Old vines intensify spice and dark fruit notes. Keep it in the back yard or fridge.
