I have always been a fan of Beaujolais but I think it is still massively overlooked by everyone.
Beaujolais wines come from an area in France between Burgundy and the Rhone. The reds are soft, juicy and fruity (like me) and can be bloody fantastic (erm, like me...?), if you know where to look.
Beaujolais can be an excellent introduction to red wine for someone who generally just drinks white wine, dessert wine, or just Malibu (you know who you are).
Beaujolais, overall, is light bodied, very fruit driven and low in the mouth-drying tannins that put a lot of people off of red wines. It's often best served a little bit chilled too, as it makes it crisp and refreshing.
There are a few levels of Beaujolais, ranging from the very basic up to wines with a named Cru on the label, such as Fleurie or Brouilly for example.
Arguably my favourite Cru and one that is often completely ignored for it's more well known neighbours is Julienas.
Made entirely from the juicy Gamay grape, as all Beaujolais red wines are, the Julienas 2011 from Trenel is an amazing example of what Beaujolais has to offer. This is a wine with lots of depth but is as easy to drink as fruit juice. If you have never tried Julienas before or if you don't even usually drink red wines, this is a perfect red wine equivelent of a gateway drug...Julienas 2011 Trenel is avalable from The Wine Society for £9.50 - not exactly everyday drinking price but it's well worth every penny. If you want to get a taste of Beaujolais but need to save your pennies, you should give The Society's Beaujolais Villages a go, at £6.95.
What's your favourite Beaujolais? let us know by commenting below or on our facebook or twitter page.
Top image taken from dzonline's photostream under the creative commons act.
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