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Beaujolais begins on the northern side of Lyon and encompasses Mâcon and Chalon-sur-Saône. Every year the third Thursday in November heralds the arrival in the shops of the Beaujolais nouveau, the new crus (vintages) of Beaujolais wine that are available as early as three weeks after the grape harvest. It is generally found to be vert (green), which is hardly surprising, and tastes of blackcurrant juice.

However, the reputation of the Beaujolais wines has been tainted by the yearly marketing stunt of the Beaujolais nouveau. Beaujolais wine is low in tannins and is therefore a lighter red wine than its counterparts from Bordeaux and Burgundy. The ten Beaujolais crus range from the St-Amour in the north of the region, to the Côte de Brouilly in the south and the main grape used is Gamay. Fleurie and Morgon are two very good wines to look out for. Beaujolais should be drunk chilled, at around 10 degrees Centigrade, and is a good accompaniment to roast pork. It is perfect for drinking with every day food such as pizzas, pasta and sandwiches where a bottle of Bordeaux would be too much.

Alsace

Since 300AD, Alsace has been producing wine on the slopes of the Vosges Mountains. Renowned for its white wines that are clean, fresh and compatible with the sometimes heavy local cuisine, Alsace has nine official grape varieties. The four most popular grapes are Riesling (minerally), Gewürztraminer (fragrant), Muscat (dry), and Pinot Gris (rich). Gerwürz means 'spicy' in German, and these often spicy wines go well with fusion and oriental food.

Languedoc-Rousillon

The Vin de Pays classification was introduced in 1979 and has changed the fortunes of Languedoc-Rousillon, enabling the region to compete with New World producers and give consumers bottles that are clearly labelled according to grape variety, not region. The Languedoc-Rousillon region has a reputation for producing bad wine but, although this is sometimes true, the region also produces some great AOC wines that rival those from neighbouring Bordeaux and cost half the price. The Minervois wines, named after the town of Minerve in Languedoc, are usually red, but small quantities of rosé and white are produced. Fitou was classified AOC in 1948 and uses mainly black Grenache or Syrah grapes to produce its red wines. Grenache grapes are planted widely and make up most of the rosé wine in Southern France, as well as being a key element in other blends. Corbières is an AOC producing red, rosé and white wines from grapes such as Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault (red/rosé) and white Grenache, Marsanne and Roussanne (whites). Also look out for the surprisingly good Côteaux de Languedoc wines.

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2008 - Beaujolais Wine

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