It's Time for Beaujolais

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David Morrison has something to say about the popularity of Beaujolais, in his blog, "The Wine Gourd."  

Morrison, owner of one of the more interesting blog names, is a scientist trained in plant biology who somehow got sidetracked to wine economics.  And if that's not unusual enough, Morrison is an Australian living in Sweden, writing about wine.  

Morrison's essay on Beaujolais export markets suggests there is more than one way to look at the popularity of Beaujolais.  Viewed by market size, the United States is at the top of Beaujolais export markets, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Belgium.  The tiny Grand Duchy of Luxembourg came 23rd out of 25 export markets listed. 

Look at the data by the amount of Beaujolais consumed, though, and Luxembourg shoots up to first, followed by Belgium, Ireland, Canada and the United Kingdom. And, the United States has now dropped to 11th place, behind the Netherlands.

Clearly, the data suggests that Americans love Beaujolais, something that's good to know as the holidays approach and you begin planning the Thanksgiving menu, perhaps to include a bottle or two of fresh and fruity Beaujolais Nouveau, basic Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages, or one of the ten Beaujolais Cru.

Beaujolais Nouveau.  There was an LP (remember those?) released years ago titled, "Opera for People Who Don't Like Opera," that I think of when Nouveau time rolls around.  The "new" French wine is rich, tasty and uncomplicated, just the right choice for people who think they want wine with the multi-course holiday meal, but are not sure which wine to serve.

A bottle or two of Beaujolais Nouveau is the easy and uncomplicated answer.  Or, if you prefer Italian wine, try Lambrusco, the lightly sweet and fizzy red wine from Emilia-Romagna. 

Nouveau Beaujolais is all about  carbonic maceration (CM), a technique whereby whole clusters of Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc ("Black Gamay with White Juice") grapes are loaded into stainless steel fermenters and the bottom clusters are crushed by the weight above.  

Maceration and normal fermentation begin, carbon dioxide gas bathes the grapes, causing each whole grape to become an individual fermenter. The anerobic CM process results in a fresh fruity red wine of modest alcohol that is intended to be consumed before the next year's harvest.

A bit of wine grape trivia: Gamay Noir is not related to the Gamay grape that has red flesh.

Beaujolais is the basic appellation, amounting to about one half of all Beaujolais produced, and is a step up from Nouveau. Beaujolais undergoes a standard red wine fermentation in stainless steel and includes some CM for freshness, through a process called "semi-maceration."  The aim is to make a structured red wine for near term drinking, or aging for one or two years in bottle. 

Beaujolais-Villages, the intermediate grade of Beaujolais from a series of villages in the foothills that must comply to strict vineyard practices and yields.  Village wines are permitted an extra degree of alcohol, and in general, will benefit from a little aging.

The division between simple Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages is an important one.  Basic Beaujolais is the starting point, for quality and price.  Beaujolais-Villages are more concentrated and show more character, and the difference in price is minimal.  The next step up is the small group of village wines known as Beaujolais Crus.

Beaujolais Cru.  Wines from the ten cru appellations are the most complex and capable of long-term aging. Thus, Beaujolais cru are also the most expensive. 

South of the Maconnais border, the Beaujolais Crus are in a line, from light to heavy : Brouilly, Cote de Brouilly, Chiroubes, Régnié, Morgon, Fleurie, Juliénas, Saint-Amour, Chénas and Moulin-à-Vent.  

Expect to pay under $15 for basic Beaujolais, less than that for Nouveau.   Beaujolais-Villages price range is approximately $15 to $30 and Beaujolais Crus are $25 to $75, with a few Moulin-à-Vent closer to $100. 

A misleading claim that has dogged Beaujolais Cru for years suggests that a few of them, such as Moulin-à-Vent, are as complex as Burgundy.  With a couple of years of bottle aging, the two wines may seem similar, but Gamay Noir and Pinot Noir make different wines.

There is no shortage of wine professionals who dismiss Beaujolais as the country hick at a black tie meal.  Far too many restaurant wine lists omit Beaujolais and Nouveau Beaujolais from the wine list because they are not money makers.   

But recent surveys show that wines like Beaujolais are what people want with their meal, so let's take a closer look at the easy pairing of Beaujolais with food. 

Beaujolais with Food 

Since Thanksgiving will be here in less than two weeks, here are a few tips on pairing Beaujolais with holiday food. Foremost is, drink the wine or wines you like best. 

Still, some advisors think, since the Thanksgiving feast is special, you should uncork your best Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.  

I say, save those wines for another meal, and here's why:

Thanksgiving turkey and the variety of side dishes is a mashup of flavors, seasonings and textures.  A big red with ample tannin, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Italian Barolo and Spanish Ribera del Douro, to name a few, will over power delicate turkey white meat, clash with sweet cranberry sauce and get lost with the heavily seasoned dressing (stuffing?) you serve with the bird.  

Chardonnay will pair better than a big red with a wider variety of Thanksgiving dishes, though Chardonnay is better with fish, roast chicken and vegetarian dishes.  A lightly oaked Chardonnay compliments turkey white meat, but an all-purpose white wine, like off-dry Riesling, Viognier, Spanish Albarino, or Italian Orvieto, is the way to go. 

Finally, there are two important things to know about Beaujolais: It is not Burgundy and never will be; and Beaujolais, no matter its pedigree, should be drunk young, within a year, two at the most for Beaujolais Crus.  

 

Next post: Great Barolo

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