Beaujolais

Question 1

Where is Beaujolais located?

Answer 1

Immediately south of the Mâconnais in Burgundy

Question 2

How much of Beaujolais is planted to Gamay?

Answer 2

98%

Question 3

Is there any white wine coming from Beaujolais?

Answer 3

Yes! It is made from Chardonnay

Question 4

What is the climate of Beaujolais?

Answer 4

Continental

Question 5

Are there any moderating influences in Beaujolais?

Answer 5

Yes:

• The Saone River helps moderate the extreme temperatures
• The Mistral also affects Beaujolais and can hamper flowering

Question 6

What are some of the characteristics of Gamay Noir?

Answer 6

• Early Budding, so spring frost can be a concern
• Vulnerable to millerandage
• Thin skinned making it susceptible to rot
• Early ripening, so it can be picked before the autumn rains

Question 7

How is the majority of Beaujolais wine produced?

Answer 7

By semi-carbonic maceration

Question 8

What are the two styles of production for Cru Beaujolais wine?

Answer 8

Either by:

• Semi-carbonic with 10-20 of maceration on the skins
• Traditional wine making like what happens in Burgundy

Question 9

When can Beaujolais Nouveau be released?

Answer 9

The third Thursday in November

Question 10

How is Beaujolais Nouveau made?

Answer 10

• Carbonic or Semi-Carbonic Maceration
• Wines are bottled 3-5 days after alcoholic fermentation has completed
• Some of the wines will go thru MLC, if they do not they will Fined, filtered and be inoculated with SO2 to prevent MLC in the bottle

Question 11

Where are the Crus of Beaujolais located in Beaujolais?

Answer 11

In the northern part of the AOC.

Question 12

How does the soil and topography differ between the Northern and Southern portions of the Beaujolais AOC?

Answer 12

• The northern portion of the AOC is more hilly with a lot of south and southeast facing slopes. It also has the more diverse soils that are made up of granite, schist and sand
• The southern portion of the AOC is much flatter and the soils are richer

Question 13

While the Beaujolais AOC does cover the entire AOC, where do most of the wines for this AOC come from?

Answer 13

From the southern portion of Beaujolais

Question 14

Between Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages, which one is typically higher quality?

Answer 14

Beaujolais-Villages as these wines are generally sourced from the northern part of Beaujolais

Question 15

How many Crus are there in Beaujolais? How many can you name?

Answer 15

There are 10 crus in Beaujolais

• Brouilly
• Côte de Brouilly
• Morgon
• Moulin-à-Vent
• Fleurie
• Chiroubles
• Régnié
• Saint-Amour
• Chénas
• Juliénas

Question 16

Of the 10 Beaujolais Cru’s, what two are the largest?

Answer 16

Brouilly and Morgon

Question 17

What is generally thought of to be the most powerful of the 10 Beaujolais Cru’s?

Answer 17

Moulin-à-Vent

Question 18

What three countries make up 60% of the exports for Beaujolais?

Answer 18

• Japan (especially Nouveau)
• USA
• UK