Beaujolais

A glass of artisanal Beaujolais is one of the friendliest accompaniments to food. The descriptor ‘artisanal’ is important when talking about Beaujolais. Artisanal, for us, simply means growing grapes as nature intended with a minimal interventionist approach in the cellar – practices that include organic farming, low yields, hand harvesting, indigenous yeasts, and no filtration. The quality difference between artisanal and industrial Beaujolais, in our view, is as wide a gap as in the Grand Canyon.

A view of the village Villié-Morgon from Jean Foillard's Corcelette Vineyard

Artisanal Beaujolais has a magnetic personality when paired with charcuterie, any meat dish and even with our local salmon. Beaujolais, at its best, with its floral perfume, bright fruits, crispy acidity, and soft tannins, is captivating. L’Avant Comptoir, a great standing room only bistro in Paris for example, offers artisanal Beaujolais by a glass from magnums, slightly chilled in a huge champagne bowl. Les Pipos, another outstanding bistro in the Latin Quarter of Paris, offers no less than six artisanal Beaujolais. The Ten Bells, a fabulous bistro in New York, offers up to sixteen artisanal Beaujolais on the list! No other wines speak more clearly to the joy and celebration of eating.

Steak and Wild Mushrooms with Beaujolais at Le Comptoir in Paris - Photo by B. Sohn

Suggestion: Beaujolais tastes best when served slightly chilled (12 deg. C, cellar temperature). If you do not have a cellar, placing the bottle in an ice bucket (ice + water) for about 5 minutes will do, or 1/2 hour or so in the refridgerator.