Beaujolais

Question 1

Beaujolais overlaps the southern part of which other subregion in Burgundy?

Answer 1

The very northern part of Beaujolais overlaps a bit of the southernmost portion of the Mâconnais.

Question 2

What is the climate of Beaujolais?

Answer 2

Beaujolais has a CONTINENTAL climate, slightly warmer than the rest of Burgundy.
There is normally adequate rainfall for grape growing (740 mm per year).
The Saone River acts as a moderator of extreme temperatures.
The region is subject to cold Mistral winds

Question 3

What are the potential hazards?

Answer 3

Mistral winds that can affect flowering in cold, damp early summer weather. It can also damage leaves and grapes towards the end of the ripening period when Gamay’s naturally thin skins are at their most vulnerable to rot.
Vine orientation and training low to the ground are very important to reduce these effects.

Gamay Noir is early budding, making it susceptible to SPRING FROST.

Question 4

What is the traditional training method in Beaujolais?

Answer 4

Gobelet (aka Bush vine)

The vines are pruned to spurs around the head, and then the shoots are tied together, to hold them vertically. However, an increasing number of grape growers are now training their vines along wires to
allow for mechanisation

Question 5

In what type of soils are the best red wines in Beaujolais grown?

Answer 5

Granitic soils that have low levels of nutrients.

This limits the yields and as a result the flavours in the grapes are more concentrated.
Reducing the number of buds helps to restrain the high fertility of
the Gamay variety.

Question 6

What is the typical style of a Gamay wine?

Answer 6

Gamay gives fragrant wines with aromas of raspberry
and cherry fruit.
The wines rarely have more than medium levels of tannin and body, and the lightest styles can even be served lightly chilled.

Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau have light body and tannins.

Question 7

What is carbonic maceration?

Answer 7

Carbonic maceration is a winemaking technique used for red wine production that extracts intense color and fruit flavors but little tannin.

• Whole clusters of Gamay are put into tanks, carbon dioxide is pumped into the tank and the tank is sealed, creating an anaerobic environment;
• Due to the absence of oxygen, the berries undergo an intracellular fermentation (without the help of yeasts). In this anaerobic environment some tannin and lots of color are transferred to the flesh from the skins while the grapes are building up carbon dioxide, which then force them to burst;
• Once carbonic maceration has completed (7-10 days) the winemaker pumps both the free run and pressed juice from the skins into another vessel to allow yeasts to finish primary fermentation, rendering the wine dry and very fruity.

Question 8

What are some of the flavors derived from carbonic maceration?

Answer 8

Bubble gum
Banana
Kirsch
Cinnamon
Gum drops
Red licorice

Question 9

Is Beaujolais Nouveau produced via carbonic maceration or traditional methods?

Answer 9

Most Beaujolais Nouveau is produced using carbonic maceration.

Beaujolais Nouveau is intentionally made for early drinking.

Question 10

When can Beaujolais Nouveau be released?

Answer 10

Beaujolais Nouveau can be released on the third Thursday of November the same year of harvest.

Question 11

Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be sold after ____ the year after harvest.

Answer 11

August 31

Question 12

How are the soils different from northern Beaujolais to southern Beaujolais?

Answer 12

Northern Beaujolais has more granite and schist soils, and the northern landscape has more rolling hills than the south (200–500 m). Vineyards are situated on south and south-east facing slopes, for maximum exposure to the sun.

Southern Beaujolais is on an alluvial plain with sandy soils, and the earth here is flatter than in the north.

Question 13

Will one find more white wine or more red wine from Beaujolais?

Answer 13

Red wine

Gamay is king in Beaujolais but there can be some Chardonnay found on limestone outcroppings; Chardonnay from Beaujolais is sold as Beaujolais Blanc.

Question 14

What is the hierarchy of quality wines in Beaujolais?

Answer 14

From highest to lowest:

Crus of Beaujolais (10)
Beaujolais-Villages (39 villages, can be blended together)
Beaujolais

Question 15

How many Crus are there in Beaujolais, and which 4 do you need to know for the exam?

Answer 15

10 Crus

These 4 Crus of Beaujolais have the greatest production:
1. Moulin-à-Vent
1. Fleurie
1. Morgon
1. Brouilly

Question 16

Which Crus of Beaujolais offer wines with the most structure and concentration?

Answer 16

Morgon
Moulin-à-Vent

Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon often produce the most structured wines. The fruit concentration and level of tannins mean that these wines can improve with bottle-ageing.

Question 17

Which Crus of Beaujolais offer wines that are more perfumed and aromatic, and tend to be lighter in style?

Answer 17

Brouilly and Fleurie
Lighter in style compared to Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent, the Cru that produces the lightest wines overall is Saint-Amour.

Question 18

Grapes for Beaujolais Nouveau can only come from where?

Additionally, where are the grapes NOT allowed to come from?

Answer 18

Wines labelled as Beaujolais Nouveau can only be of Beaujolais or Beaujolais Villages quality.

The ten crus can not be sold in this way.

Question 19

How is semi-carbonic maceration different from carbonic maceration?

Answer 19

Semi-carbonic maceration does not utilize pumped-in carbon dioxide. Instead, a winemaker will rely on the carbon dioxide naturally produced by fermentation.
- Whole clusters at the bottom of the tank will be crushed from the weight of the grapesabove, allowing natural yeasts that were on the grapes to start fermenting the juicereleased from burst berries;
- The CO2 produced ignites the intracellular fermentation so even on a semi-carbonic winethere will be the tell-tale flavors of this technique (florals, candied banana, Kirsch, tutti-fruity notes).

Question 20

How many villages lie within the Beaujolais-Villages AOP?

Answer 20

39
Most of the wines in Beaujolais-Villages are blended across villages, which is why individual villages are rarely seen on labels.
None of the 10 Crus of Beaujolais are included in this group of 39

Question 21

In the 10 Crus of Beaujolais, the winemaking technique most often used is traditional or carbonic maceration?

Answer 21

TRADITIONAL
Many of these wines undergo a crushed-fruit fermentation and
some will receive oak ageing, often in large vats rather than casks;
the wines rarely display pronounced aromas or flavours of new oak.

Other producers use semicarbonic maceration or a small proportion of whole bunches to give brighter fruit aromas.

Question 22

Will red wines from Beaujolais display heavy notes of oak?

Answer 22

No, the reds from Beaujolais will rarely, if ever, display oaky notes as the wines are fermented and aged in large, neutral vats.

Question 23

If a Beaujolais winemaker makes their wine traditionally in large, neutral casks, what 2 techniques can they use to give the wine brighter fruit characteristics?

Answer 23

Semi-carbonic maceration
Small propo…….

Question 24

What is the most famous vineyard in Morgon (it’s also Morgon’s highest point of elevation)?

Answer 24

Côte du Py

Known for its black granite and manganese-rich decomposed schist, Côte du Py makes structured, long-lived wines.

Question 25

Climate-wise, is Beaujolais closer to Burgundy or Rhône?

Answer 25

Beaujolais is closer to the Rhône as far as climate goes.

The soils in Beaujolais (granite and schist) are also more similar to the Rhône than they are to Burgundy.