Beaujolais wine takes its name from the historical Beaujolais province of eatern France. The Beaujolais wine region is located north of Lyon. The Massif Central lies to the the west of beaujolais this has a cooling influence on Beaujolais' climate. The Beaulolais wine district is the largest wine producing are of Burgundy. In the 1980s, Beaujolais wine hit a peak of popularity in the world's wine market with its Beaujolais nouveau wine. Beaujolais is the classic bistro wine of Paris; a fruity, easy-drinking red wine.
The celebrated American wine expert, Karen MacNeil, has described Beaujolais as "the only white wine that happens to be red". This refers to the fact that, Beaujolais wine is often treated like a white wine and served slightly chilled to a lower temperature. In Beaujolais itself, it is traditional to soak the bottles in buckets of ice water and bring them out to the center villages for picnics and games of boules. Beaujolais wine can be paired with a variety of food according to the lightness and body of the wine. Beaujolais Nouveau is typically drunk as an apéritif.
History of Beaujolais wine
The early history of Beaujolais wine dates back to the 19th century when the first wines of the Burgundy vintage were sent down the River Saône to the restaurants and bistros of Lyon. Upon their arrival signs would be put out proclaiming "Le Beaujolais Est Arrivé!". The consumption of these early Beaujolais wines, the so called 'fete Beaujolais' was seen as a celebration of another successful Burgundy harvest. In the 1960s, the simple Beaujolais wines became increasingly popular worldwide with more than half a million cases of being sold each year.
Beaujolais date
In 1985, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) established the third Thursday of November as the official Beaujolais date of release. This ensured that Beaujolais wine had a uniform release date. Beaujolais wines are typically shipped out a few days earlier to locations around the world. The exported Beaujolais wine shipments must be held in bonded warehouses till 12:01am when the wines can be first opened and consumed. In the United States, Beaujolais wine is promoted as a drink for Thanksgiving, which falls a week after the wine is released.
Beaulolais Nouveau wine
Beaujolais nouveau is a red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France. About a third of the Beaujolais wine region's production is sold as Beaujolais Nouveau, a marketing brand created by the celebrated wine merchant, George Duboeuf, for the annual fete Beaujolais. Beaujolais nouveau is the lightest, fruitiest style of Beaujolais wine and it is designed for easy drinking. To create Beaulolais Nouveau wine, the grapes are harvested between late August and early September. The Beaujolais wine is fermented for just a few days and then it is released to the public on the third Thursday of November - "Beaujolais Nouveau Day". Beaujolais Nouveau is the first French wine to be released for each vintage year. In 1992, at its peak, the Beaujolais wine region sold more than half of its production as Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaulolais Nouveau wines are created to be drunk as young as possible, when they are at their freshest and fruitiest.
Traditional Wine Link has an excellent stock of high quality French Beaujolais wine. If you want to buy Beaujolais wine on line please visit our online wine shop French Beaujolais wine
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