Thursday Club with TalkRadio: Beaujolais Day!

Today is Beaujolais Nouveau Day! What is Beaujolais day? Well, Beaujolais is a wine region in France where the red wines are made from the Gamay grape, but you can also get a few whites and pinks too. Beaujolais Day happens on the third Thursday of November every year and it’s when the young wines of Beaujolais are all released. It’s a tradition and in the UK, there has always been a funny sort of race to bring the first nouveau wines back into the country from France. (Good luck doing that this year). These nouveau wines are bottled and sold within just six to  eight weeks of the grapes being picked.

Beaujolais fell out of favour during the eighties over here as people assumed that all Beaujolais was like the nouveau style, which is very juicy and bright, with a strong flavour of strawberry bubblegum. It’s meant to be drunk within a few months of its life and is deliberately youthful in style.  Beaujolais proper however, means gorgeously silky, elegant red wines that are crisp and refreshing, not totally unlike good French Pinot Noir. The style is very much in vogue again now people are reaching for less weighty, less alcoholic, less oaky red wines. Think wild strawberry, raspberry and spice with some autumnal, leafy notes. 

Don’t forget that there are several quality levels in Beaujolais: Start with the bouncy nouveau, then move up to straight Beaujolais. Above that, you have Beaujolais-villages and then finally, there are ten special Beaujolais ‘cru’, each named after a specific village and they all have their own characteristic take on the regional style. Here’s a bit more about that. 

Three Beaujolais wines to try:

Château de Belleverne, Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais-Villages 2021

This wine shows exactly how far we’ve come with Beaujolais over the last twenty years. It’s a nouveau - from a villages producer! Basically, that means it’s actually good. 

Made in the traditional, carbonic macerated style using concrete vats, this wine is a classic BH: a light and fruity red wine made from Gamay grape. Best served slightly chilled at 13°c. The 2021 vintage is available for pre-order with delivery on Friday 19th November.  Priced at £13.50 per bottle, order six bottles or more for £12.00 per bottle.

Find it at Wickhams Great British Wine Merchant here.

Domaine de Roche-Guillon, Fleurie, 2017

Fleurie in the north of the region is the lightest, most elegant of the Cru with a perfumed, silky, style. Don’t let the light body fool you though; these wines can be very complex and interesting flavour-wise and they can age surprisingly well, turning our gorgeously moreish Autumnal flavours. This one is made by a family-owned domaine who don’t filter their wines for more texture, vibrancy and flavour. 

Find it for £14.75 Sandhamswine.co.uk

Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Cuvée ‘Couvent des Thorins’

Bordering Fleurie in the far north of the region is the Moulin-à-Vent Cru. ​​Wines from here make some of the most concentrated and tannic Beaujolais there is - a million miles from the nouveau style. These are great ones to age a bit, becoming more earthy, and savoury as they mature. This one is big but supple and ripe.

Find it for £20 at Stannary wine

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Summer Sips from Sainsbury's

On the Thursday Club this afternoon: More summertime sips and this time, from Sainsbury’s. Here are some wines you may or may not have heard of before, but they are certainly worth chilling and bringing out on hot days, even the red! 

Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine, France. Taste the Difference.

Muscadet is a 70’s favourite but it’s coming back as people reach for cleaner, cool, bone dry, more neutral wines. The grape is actually Melon de Bourgogne, which really makes no sense as Bourgogne means ‘Burgundy - a totally different region! Muscadet wines are famously slightly spritzy with earthy, grape flesh notes and a chalky texture. It hails from the far west of the Loire Valley in France. Perfect with shellfish.

£7.50 from Sainsbury’s

Cono Sur ‘Bicicleta’ Viognier, Chile.

Cono Sur is a big Chilean brand but one you can rely on to make seriously easy drinking, inexpensive fruity wines that are great examples of type. Her, they’ve taken France’s Viognier grape and given it the New World Touch. On the opposite end of the spectrum to Muscadet, Viognier is the sun goddess of wine. Think ripe peach and apricot, with coconut oil and a garland of white flowers. Viognier is great with lightly spiced food, especially Thai. 

£7.50 from Sainsbury’s

Beaujolais Villages, Coteaux Granitiques, France. Taste the Difference

Beaujolais is another seventies throwback in a way but these days, it’s certainly not the strawberry bubblegum stuff that could strip paint. The grape used is Gamay for the reds and it comes from central France, just below the Burgundy region. There are several quality levels of Beaujolais, from the early drinking, ‘bubblegum’ nouveau style, to the more serious Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and then the 10 ‘Cru’, which each have names you might know such as Fleurie or Morgon. Gamay is a light bodied red with very little drying tanning, that is known and loved for its fresh cherry and red berry fruit. 

£9.50 from Sainsbury’s

Your ABC Guide to Beaujolais

Words by Helena Nicklin

If you’re looking for a lighter style of red with all the flavour, then give Beaujolais a chance. As we celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau day (always on the third Thursday of November), Helena thought it was the perfect time to give you the lowdown on this retro wine style that is back with a bang!

Today, as I write, it is Beaujolais Nouveau Day; a pretty special time for the wine industry because it’s the day that the new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau is released for sale. In the past, this release date has been combined with a mad dash to France to bring back the very first bottles fresh from the wine press and crack them open for brunch, as the ‘nouveau’ wine style is meant to be drunk very young, within months of bottling at the max. Today however, the flouncy, bubblegum nouveau style has fallen out of favour with wine lovers somewhat, who have turned their attention to the more sophisticated iterations of Beaujolais which, quite frankly, have been getting better and better every year. Here’s a quick guide to the various levels and styles of Beaujolais.

What is Beaujolais?

Beaujolais is a wine region (appellation) in the middle of France, located immediately below the Burgundy region, running from just south of Macon, almost to Lyon. Most Beaujolais wines are red and the grape used to make them is Gamay. You can get a few pinks and whites too made from Chardonnay, Aligoté and Gamay but it’s the reds that are famous. Generally speaking, Beaujolais red wine as a style is a little like Pinot Noir in terms of body, but has more of a ripe strawberry note and even softer tannins.

Beaujolais Nouveau

‘Nouveau’ means ‘new’. This is the bubblegum-like, sweet and simple style that’s often more like a boozy cordial than a wine. Part of the reason for this is the fact that it’s made with a process called carbonic maceration that smothers grapes with CO2 so they implode rather than being crushed. The juice is then gently run off, so it is not mixed with drying, textural tannins from the skins. It’s a wine that’s not made to be aged, so you should plan to enjoy a glass as soon as possible after it is bottled for the best experience of the fresh and juicy flavour. By the time next year’s batch is ready, this year’s bottles will already taste stale and tired. This nouveau style is not to be confused with what some might call ‘proper’ Beaujolais styles below:

Beaujolais ‘proper’

Nouveau novelty aside, Beaujolais is a serious wine region with three core levels of quality. The first is straight Beaujolais AOC, where grapes can be harvested from around all 96 villages of the region. Up a notch then is the mid-range Beaujolais-Villages AOC, which used grapes from the North of the region and from a designated 39 of the villages only. At the top of the quality tree are ten Beaujolais ‘Crus’ which are specific villages that are named on the label and each is know for its particular qualities, though all are made with Gamay. These villages are Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly.

Tasting Tour

Try these easy-to-find Beaujolais wines to see why they deserve to be on your shopping list!

Beaujolais-villages ‘l’Escarpe’ 2018, £5.99, Lidl

Tangy nose and a very fruity, raspberry-scented palate. Exceptionally easy drinking and only 12.5% abv.

Available in store. 

Beaujolais-villages, Reserve du Pizay, £8, Co-op.

Another very easy drinker, this time with some darker, more blackcurrant fruit thrown into the mix. Juicy and soft with a hint of spice and wild strawberry. This would be great slightly chilled.

Find it here. 

Chiroubles, Beaujolais Cru, 2018, £10, Co-op.

For a Cru, this is truly excellent value - and the bottle is gorgeous too. One of the more elegant Cru wines, this is silky and spicy with summer berry notes and not too heavy on the alcohol.

Find it here. 

Saint-Amour, Domaine Des Côtes de la Roche 2018, £10.95, The Wine Society.

An elegant ‘Cru wine and one of the lesser known ones, this is a light red that’s pronounced in flavour with both black and red cherry notes and very silky, but noticeable tannins. A good food Beaujolais.

Find it here.

Régnié, Julien Sunier, 2018, £21.50 from BBR

Lovely, vibrant, aromatic wine packed full of personality and crunchy, red apple and berry notes. Lots going on here. Worth the step up in price.

Find it here.

Jean Foillard Morgon, Cote du Py, 2017, £27.99 from thegrapestore.com

Exceptional, perfumed, silky, spicy light red with gorgeously ripe cherry and strawberry fruit. 

Find it here.

The Best Red Wines To Have Chilled

Some red wines are perfect for chilling in this warmer weather. It’s certainly true that some wine grapes and wine styles work better than others when it comes to what goes in the fridge, so here’s what you need to know:

Tips for drinking chilled red wine

• Chilled, not cold. No red wine will sing when it is too cold, so really, you want about 45 mins max in the fridge. Avoid ice cubes in your glass too. 

• Avoid heavy, dry tannic wines and oaky wines.

• Fruity styles of wine work best.

Some grape varieties are naturally more fruity and less tannic than others, so get to know them and the styles of wine they make. Here are some to look out for: 

Pinot Noir 

A Pinot Noir (the grape) from just about anywhere will be a good shout for a chilled red wine thanks to its high acidity and thin skin that gives very little tooth-drying tannin. The lightest styles tend to come from the Burgundy region (aka Bourgogne) and the likes of Germany, where it's also known as Spätburgunder. Richer styles will come from warmer climates such as Casablanca Valley in Chile or Sonoma in California. Try these:

Bargain: Irresistible Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir, Chile, 2019, £8 from CO-OP
Juicy, concentrated blackcurrant and plum spice with a cool, raspberry leaf tang.

Splash out: Bernard Moreau, Bourgogne, 2019, £18.
A brilliant, entry level red Burgundy with ripe strawberry, crunchy red berry fruits and a touch of spice and earthiness. 

Gamay

The Gamay grape is not that well known, though you will have certainly heard of the French wine region that specialises in wines made with it: Beaujolais. Gamay is even thinner skinned than Pinot Noir and can make some very fruity, juicy wines that can taste of bananas and strawberry bubblegum. If you want something a little more serious however, you can move up the Beaujolais quality ladder from Beaujolais Nouveau at the bottom, up to Beaujolais, then Beaujolais-Villages and finally, the top of the tree, one of the 10 Beaujolais ‘Cru’ villages. These ‘Cru’ are a little more savoury and serious - more akin to a Burgundian Pinot Noir, but a touch lighter and more raspberry-scented and leafy. They each have their own subtle differences and offer excellent value for money. From North to South, look for these ‘Cru’ names: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. Try these:

Bargain: Chiroubles Beaujolais Cru 2018, £10 from CO-OP.
Lovely, crunchy wine with raspberry compote spice and a subtle hint of grilled meat. 

Splash-out: Fleurie Clos Vernay Domaine Lafarge Vial 2014, £33
The most floral and perfumed of the Crus, this Fleurie boast violets, rose and raspberry notes. A little more grippy than some Fleuries, the extra age on this wine has softened it just enough to make it work well when chilled.

Cabernet Franc

This is a grape that is coming back into fashion with a bang. In its Old World Home in the Loire Valley, France, it makes crunchy, light reds with notes of redcurrant and, I kid you not, pencil shavings! This Loire style tends to be better for chilling than its New World versions, (which pack a lot more power and tannin), though they can be a bit austere for some. Some appellations in the Loire are famous for Cabernet Franc, so look for those on the label as the grape may not appear: Saumur-Champigny, Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Cabernet Franc is also a fixture in Bordeaux, but you will rarely see it as anything other than a relatively small part of the blend. Try these:

Bargain: Chinon, Lulu Lalouette, 2019, £12.99 (£9.99 mix six price) from Majestic.
Of a style, but if you know what you’re getting with Loire Cabernet Franc, you will enjoy this for its fragrant, smoky notes and dried redcurrant palate. 

Splash-out: St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Les Graviers Domaine du Bourg 2018, £17.25 from Corneyandbarrow.com
A touch fuller in body than the Chinon with riper, red fruit, this is a classy, old school, French red with smoky, graphite notes. Delicious.

Sparkling Shiraz

You cannot think about chilled reds and barbecues without thinking of sparkling Shiraz. This is a style of wine that tends to come from Australia only and it works so well thanks to the richer, fruitier styles of Shiraz that come from here. They are full-bodied without being too tannic and full of jammy, spicy plum fruit and liquorice notes. This is the wine you should reach for when pairing with flavoursome, grilled steaks and beef burger etc. as it has a little grippiness. Try this:

Majella, Sparkling Shiraz, £28.50 from Vivino
Lush, velvety and chocolatey, this wine is like a bar of fruit and nut in liquid form. Beautiful balance and not too sweet,  it's serious as well as quirky. Definitely the best we’ve tasted. 

Red Lambrusco

No, don’t turn away! This is not the Lambrusco you are thinking of that harks back to the sweet and syrupy wines of the early Spice Girls days. Lambrusco is a lot more serious now - and a lot drier. Seek out an artisanal red one for a lighter-bodied, frothy vino with moreish, yeasty notes that’s an epic match with Italian cold cuts, buffalo mozzarella and the like. Try this:

Vecchio Moro Lambrusco, Grasparossa, Rinaldini. £12.50 from The Wine Society
Deep purple and packed with ripe fruit flavours and dried herb notes, this has an intriguing breadiness and tastes drier than it smells. A lovely frothy fizz really refreshes the palate. An excellent lunchtime red for summer. 

For more mouth-wateringly good wine content, including our one-minute wine guides to the different grape varieties out there follow this link!