J’adore Beaujolais Wine

Beaujolais is a wine region just north of Lyon in eastern France, and the name of the light, fruity wines made there, most of them red and almost all of them made from the Gamay grape. It is easy to drink, pairs well with food, is usually affordable, and is home to a new generation of growers focused on sustainable farming. Beaujolais Nouveau Day is Thursday, November 19, 2026 (the third Thursday of November), so now is a great time to get to know the region.

Do you believe everything happens for a reason? I do! I believe everything happens in a sequence, with the right timing. I will cover the basics of Beaujolais first, and then I will tell you the story of how it came into my life, which is a bit of a long one, and why it needs to be in yours, particularly if sustainable wine practices are important to you. 

What Is Beaujolais Wine?

Beaujolais is about 55 kilometers (roughly 34 miles) of hilly vineyards running north to south, less than a 30 minute drive from Lyon. It makes red, white, and rosé wines, but the star is red Beaujolais made from Gamay: bright, juicy, lightly chilled reds with high acidity and low tannin.

In some vintages, Beaujolais produces more wine than the Burgundy regions of Chablis, the Côte d’Or, the Côte Chalonnaise, and the Mâconnais combined, but you may not have heard of it unless you are familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau.

Beaujolais at a Glance

Quick fact	Answer
Main grape	Gamay for reds. The main white grape is Chardonnay.
Colors	Red, white, and rosé (the 10 crus are red only).
Appellations	12: Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages, and 10 crus.
Style	Light to medium-bodied, bright red fruit like cherry, raspberry, and strawberry, high acidity, low tannin. Crus are fuller.
How to serve	Lightly chilled: about 55 to 57°F (13 to 14°C). Nouveau a little cooler, about 52°F (11°C). Fuller crus can go up to about 60-62°F (16-17°C).
When to drink	Basic Beaujolais and Nouveau within a year of harvest, Villages within 2 to 3 years, and the fullest crus 4 to 10 years after harvest.
Alcohol	Roughly 10 to 13%.
Typical price	Beaujolais Villages around $12 and crus around $20 to $25 in the US. Prices are approximate (Wine Folly); adjust to what you see in shops.
Best with	Charcuterie, cheese, roast chicken, salads, bistro classics, picnics, and apéro.

The 12 Appellations and 10 Crus

Beaujolais has 12 appellations in 3 classifications: Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages, and the 10 Beaujolais Crus.

Beaujolais (red, white, and rosé), Beaujolais Villages (red, white, and rosé), and 10 Cru Beaujolais (reds only: Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Régnié, Morgon, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent, Chénas, Juliénas, and Saint-Amour).

Red Beaujolais is made from Gamay. The rules allow a small share of white grapes in the red, but in practice it is almost always 100% Gamay. White Beaujolais is mostly Chardonnay, and rosé, which is rare, is made from Gamay.

A few cru notes to get you started:

• Brouilly is the largest cru and Chénas is the smallest.
• Moulin-à-Vent is known for wines that can age.
• Fleurie is nicknamed the “Queen of the Beaujolais.”
• Chiroubles has some of the region’s highest vineyards, where one of my three bottles came from.

Beaujolais Nouveau: What It Is and When It Arrives in 2026

Beaujolais Nouveau is a very young, light red made from Gamay and released on the third Thursday of November. In 2026 that is Thursday, November 19.

And let’s get this elephant in the room out of the way. The Beaujolais Nouveau grapes are harvested by hand, fermented for just a few days using carbonic maceration (whole grapes ferment inside a sealed tank, which brings out the fruit and keeps the tannins soft), and released to the public on the third Thursday of November.

The Beaujolais Nouveau wine is polarizing. It has been around since the 19th century, when some of this early production was sent to Lyon’s bistros (known as bouchons) for consumption and continued to gain popularity for decades. In 1951, the release date was set at November 15, and in the 1970s Georges Duboeuf’s campaign “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” captured the French imagination. In 1985, the release moved to the third Thursday of November so it would fall closer to the weekend, and the Beaujolais Nouveau “day” became heavily marketed and celebrated, particularly in Paris. But some people still look down on it.

However, it is only a slice of the region’s production. Nouveau has ranged from about 25% to nearly half of Beaujolais output over the years, was 22% in 2024, and sales fell about 10% again in 2025. The rest goes into the “good” stuff above.

How to enjoy it: serve Nouveau slightly chilled, about 52-55°F, and drink it young. It is fun with charcuterie, roast chicken, and simple bistro food. Planning a Frenchgiving? See how Beaujolais fits on the table in How to Frenchify Your Thanksgiving (aka Frenchgiving).

What Does AOC Mean?

Another thing to note is that Beaujolais is an AOC, an “appellation d’origine contrôlée,” which means “controlled designation of origin.” It is a certification granted to certain French regions for wines, cheeses, and other agricultural products, and similar systems exist in other countries such as Italy and Greece. It is basically protection from others making products that claim to be from that region, and it protects the consumer too. You may also see AOP (appellation d’origine protégée), the European Union version of the same idea.

Some examples are Roquefort cheese (how it all started), champagne, Greek feta, and Italian Parmigiano Reggiano.

My Wine Back Story

I grew up in a household where there wasn’t a lot of alcohol. Both of my parents are lightweights when it comes to consumption and my father (based on stories that have been told about his drinking as a youth and young adult) suffers from some sort of super-low tolerance that was passed on to me. 

Once every 5 to 10 years, I test those limits and end up very sorry! Why do I tell you that? Well, it has made me super particular in my selection process. When I drink, it is usually 1 to 3 servings, and that is it. So I am not “wasting” them on anything that is not up to par!

When I first moved away from home and began drinking wine, I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, right next to Napa and Sonoma, where we can argue they make some very good wine.

My only experiences with wine before that were watered-down glasses of red wine that my grandfather let my sister and me have when visiting (my other grandfather would let us have sips of his beer while fishing with him, so I had a well-rounded education!), so when it came to purchasing and drinking my first bottles of wine, I started with red. I had friends that favored cabernets and merlots, so that is what I drank. 

As I got a little older and began trying different varietals, I settled on pinot noir. Then I started traveling to Europe for work, in particular Switzerland, where at business lunches and dinners I had the opportunity to taste some excellent French wines (and a few Swiss ones too) and began to relish the diversity in wines at my fingertips in France.

I was already an established Francophile when I moved there for work, and I continued to explore the wines of all the regions I visited as well as at wine bars in Paris, which were becoming a thing in the early aughts.

Eventually, I moved back to the US and bought a house in Berkeley where I was very lucky to be exposed to one of the best wine shops in the country, Kermit Lynch, whose collection of wine is vast and who carries wine from all over France, especially lesser-known ones that aren’t in a lot of stores outside of major markets.

I traveled to Oahu several times to attend a few food and wine festivals, where I tried some very special French wines and kept adding to my collective wine memory. Truth be told, pinot noirs remained my favorite, and I eventually discovered that I had a preference for those from Willamette Valley. 

During my trip to this region of Oregon, I was reminded that how wine is made matters as much as the wine itself. Sustainable practices will help ensure these wines are available for future generations. Farming practices and eco-friendly standards matter, not only for our own health but for the planet.

As I was getting healthier in all areas of my life (leaving the rat race in the San Francisco Bay Area, taking a sabbatical, spending months outdoors, changing our diet, and adding regular exercise), I also wanted to ensure that my wine was healthier too. After all, I am married to a Frenchman, and wine is an essential part of life 😉 (plus butter, bless you, Julia Child, and cheese!).

But then something happened. 

With our low-carb lifestyle and after losing 40 pounds, my tastes changed again. Sadly, most red wine tastes bad to me now, something that truly confounds Mr. Misadventures! Poor fella has to drink his bottles alone while I now partake of chardonnay, pinot gris, and pinot grigios.

Until now.

I did tell you it was going to be a long story…

For the last year, I have been lamenting this change to my wine drinking; I have been really missing red wine.

Then Beaujolais came into my life!

Sustainable Beaujolais Wine and the Producers I Tasted

Honestly, I didn’t know much about sustainable wines in France, but I became keenly interested after reading a French detective series in which the lead character lives in an area with lots of vineyards, some of which make huge efforts to create organic, sustainable, eco-friendly wines.

After reading the series, I became interested in researching the transition to more sustainable wines in France, and there’s definitely reason to keep an eye on the region just above Lyon (the true gastronomic capital of France, by the way). When Mr. Misadventures and I lived in France, we were a 2-hour drive from Beaujolais. We did visit the area (it is gorgeous) but not nearly enough!

Because Beaujolais isn’t as well known as some other wine regions, land and grape prices are lower, which has attracted the next generation of growers and producers focused on sustainable production. Many producers are now certified organic or biodynamic and terroir-driven.

In addition, many Beaujolais winemakers produce natural (minimalist) wine (vins nature), meaning fewer additions, like yeast and sulfur dioxide. The natural wine movement has deep roots in Beaujolais. Jules Chauvet, a winemaker and research chemist, is often called the father of French natural winemaking, and a group of Beaujolais producers he inspired (Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Guy Breton, and Jean-Paul Thévenet) became known as the “Gang of Four,” a name coined by importer Kermit Lynch. Remember Kermit Lynch mentioned above? He wrote about him in his must-read book, Adventures on the Wine Route. 

What I can tell you is this. I can drink this wine! My tastes may have shifted from moving to a low-carb lifestyle, but once again the Universe has deemed to put Beaujolais in my path and save the day. I can once again enjoy French red wine while at the same time feeling good about supporting a region and a wine that is kinder to mother Earth.

Sustainable practices lead to healthier, more biodiverse vineyards and better wine, and I believe drinking wines made without chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides, with fewer sulfites and additives, has to be better for me!

Earth Day is a global annual event that takes place on April 22 and has been going strong since 1970, the year I was born. To demonstrate my support, I was pleased to collaborate with Discover Beaujolais and am sharing 3 Beaujolais wines along with a little bit about the producers who make sustainability a priority.

A note on vintages: these are the bottles I was gifted, from the 2018 and 2019 vintages. Producers release a new vintage every year, so ask your wine shop for the current one.

Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly 2019

The Geoffray family has run Château Thivin in Mont Brouilly since 1877, using hands-on viticulture and vinification to create terroir-reflective wines. They optimize growing practices to promote soil health and ensure balance in the vineyard’s ecosystem. The vineyards are home to a variety of wild plants, flowers, and herbs that promote biodiversity. Retailers now list newer vintages than the 2019 I tasted, including the 2023 Les Sept Vignes cuvée.

• Sustainable certifications: High Environmental Value (HVE, see definition below) and Terra Vitis (see definition below).
• Location: 630 route du Mont Brouilly, Odenas, France. Visits and tastings by appointment, BUT they have 2 gîtes Le Pré Roy and Zaccharie, each for up to 15 people) in and around their vineyard, a wonderful way to experience Beaujolais!

Château de Javernand Chiroubles “Les Gatilles” 2018

Friends Arthur Fourneau and Pierre Prost craft wines together at the estate founded by Arthur’s great-grandfather in 1917, which features an 18th-century château and nearly 50 hectares of vines in the high-altitude Chiroubles Cru. The estate has been progressively converting its vines to organic farming since 2018. “We are aiming for a sustainable and efficient system that goes far beyond organic,” the duo says, detailing their plan to achieve agro-ecological balance and boost biodiversity. “The vine is, therefore, less subject to stress, and it finds a balance that allows it to fully express its terroir.”

• Sustainable certification: 3rd year under organic conversion
• Location: 421 impasse de Javernand, Chiroubles, France. Tastings mainly happen during their “Journées Portes Ouvertes” open days, which include a guided visit to the estate and vineyard, terrace tastings, and sales. Reserve by telephone (+33 9 63 29 82 13) or use the email form on their site. The next one is the “Portes ouvertes du paradis” on October 17 and 18, 2026, with tastings from 10:00 to 18:00 and lunch by reservation (20 euros). There is also a spring open weekend each year (Pentecost weekend, May 23 to 25, in 2026). Check the website for the latest dates.

Château de Fleurie 2019, Fleurie

Owned by the Boisen and Barbet families, both direct descendants of the château’s original owner, this 18th-century château farms nine hectares of vines in the village of Fleurie, using large, traditional oak barrels for vinification. “Via HVE certification, Château de Fleurie engages in sustainable agriculture and respect of soil, water, and air,” says the winery team. The winery also works to protect and develop biodiversity and look for alternatives to phytosanitary inputs. Importers currently list the 2023 and 2024 vintages. 

• Sustainable certification: High Environmental Value (HVE, see definition below) 
• Location: Not open to the public, they are sold through wine distributors.

Another well-known producer is Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, which is sometimes nicknamed the “Pope” or the “King” of Beaujolais. Georges Duboeuf (1933 to 2020) founded the house in 1964, and it sources from more than 300 winemakers. You can visit the Hameau Duboeuf, a wine and vine museum and park, at 796 route de la gare, 71570 Romanèche-Thorins (open Wednesday to Sunday; check hours before you go). 

Good news: you can buy it here in the US!

Sustainable Certification Definitions

• High Environmental Value (HVE, in French Haute Valeur Environnementale) is a French certification created and supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-Food, and Forestry to promote production from farms that voluntarily commit to environmentally friendly practices. (Source) HVE is not the same as organic certification.
• Terra Vitis was created in 1998 by Beaujolais winegrowers to publicize and recognize the concept of Sustainable Wine Production to business partners and consumers, to offer serious guarantees by the application of technical specifications, and to offer consumers wines made from grapes grown in Sustainable production. It is now a national certification for sustainable winegrowing. (Source)

What to Eat with Beaujolais

What goes with Beaujolais? Think charcuterie and cheese, roast chicken, salads, bistro classics, and even sushi or seared tuna. Beaujolais is lightly chilled, high in acidity, and low in tannin, so it works with a wide range of foods, including many Lyonnais specialties and Asian dishes.

Beaujolais wine is the perfect food pairing for almost anything! Bring it for a picnic (grab some for your Paris picnic!), serve it at an apéro, pour a glass alongside a starter (entrée), main course, and dessert, and it pairs perfectly with a bistro meal. It is very food-friendly, with high acidity and fruity aromas. The 3 Beaujolais I had were on the lighter side, so this is what I recommend.

L’apéro (Happy Hour!)

• Beaujolais pairs well with French charcuterie and cheeses like Brie, Camembert, or Tomme de Savoie. It also pairs well with Gouda and Cheddar. For more apéro inspiration, try 25 Amazing French Drinks You Will Love.
• Try it with cold meats on a picnic: cold ham, cold turkey, or chicken.

Entrée/Starters

• Beaujolais is often eaten with salads such as Niçoise (tuna, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, onion, capers, and potatoes), Vosgienne (warm potato salad), Franc-Comtoise (ham, Comté cheese, and walnuts), Provençale (potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, olives, capers, parsley, tuna, and eggs).
• Salads with chicken or bacon, goat’s cheese, and dried fruits or berries.

Main course

• Drink Beaujolais with chicken (why not poulet basque?), duck, mushroom risotto, blanquette de veau, or cassoulet.
• Seared tuna and salmon or even sushi.
• Looking for more dinner ideas? Browse 25 Fantastic French Dinner Recipes.

Dessert

• For dessert (are you still with me?), fruit tarts, especially something like mango. More sweet ideas are in 25 Must-Try French Dessert Recipes.
• Strawberries with Beaujolais poured over them, this is one of the first desserts Mr. Misadventures ever made with me when we were dating: strawberries soaked in red wine with a tiny bit of honey or sugar, delicious!

What I ate:

• Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly 2019: stir-fried cauliflower rice with zucchini and cubes of leftover barbequed turkey breast with Japanese curry and a little bit of sour cream.
• Château de Javernand Chiroubles “Les Gatilles” 2018: foie gras (from the Lafitte store on Île Saint Louis in the 4th Arrondissement), levain bread from local baker Union Special in Raleigh; low-carb whole-grain crackers and low-sugar superfruit jam. Honestly, the only thing missing was some of mon amie Brianna’s hot honey drizzled over the foie gras!

How to Taste/Drink Wine the Right Way?

Answer: any way you want. The formality. The etiquette. Sometimes the rules surrounding tasting and drinking wine can be overwhelming and scare people away. Don’t let all the secret code prevent you from enjoying French wine. Or any wine, for that matter. Throw the rules out the window and you do you. For example, the “rules” say to drink a sweet white wine (Classic is Sauternes) with foie gras, but it was lovely with the Chiroubles!

If you “need” some guidance, try these tips for tasting wine:

1. Hold your glass by the stem
2. Swish your glass around to release the flavors
3. Smell it
4. Take a small sip
5. Don’t swallow it yet
6. Let it roll around on your tongue for a moment
7. Take a few seconds to assess the taste
8. Swallow and analyze the after-taste or spit it out

The “process” is the same for a restaurant when they bring you a bottle, but you don’t spit it out 😉

How to say the word Beaujolais? And what does it mean?

Beaujolais is pronounced boh-zhuh-LAY, with the “j” sounding like the “s” in “measure.”

I was looking something up for this story when I came across something I thought was interesting. As a Francophile, I don’t always think about pronunciation; I have a French hubby, and I can just ask him! People seem curious about the Beaujolais pronunciation, so I thought I would add it here, too. 

You pronounce it like this: boh-zhuh-LAY. The name comes from the town of Beaujeu, which gave its name to the historic province of Beaujolais back in the 10th century. Beau means beautiful or handsome in French, and people often like to read the name as “beautiful place,” though the exact roots of the name are debated.

In essence, Beaujolais is gorgeous!

What do you think?

Where to buy Beaujolais wine

The good news is that wines from Beaujolais are widely available from grocery stores to wine and specialty stores; you’ll find a wide range of bottles at all price points from wineries throughout the 12 appellations. Look for bottles with: Beaujolais (comes in red, white, and rosé), Beaujolais Villages (comes in red, white, and rosé), and 10 Beaujolais Crus (reds only): Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Régnié, Morgon, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent, Chénas, Juliénas, and Saint-Amour.

A good rule of thumb: ask your wine shop for a cru such as Morgon, Fleurie, or Brouilly, and check the back label for sustainability marks like HVE, Terra Vitis, or organic.

Now that I have discovered a red wine (I didn’t try the white or rosé, but I will now!) that I can truly enjoy, I’m excited to explore more wines from this region. My wine journey isn’t over. And I am pretty sure it never will be. It’s taken some twists and turns, but it’s always led me to wonderful new discoveries.

Beaujolais Wine FAQ

If you are interested in learning more about Beaujolais wines, visit the Discover Beaujolais or download this incredible guide (pdf) to the Beaujolais region and Beaujolais wine.

Beaujolais turned out to be the red wine that welcomed me back: light, juicy, lightly chilled, friendly with almost any meal, and made by a new generation of growers who care about the land. Whether you start with a cru like Fleurie or Morgon or raise a glass of Nouveau on November 19, I hope you find a bottle that makes you say j’adore. If this post helped, tell me your favorite Beaujolais in the comments, share it with a fellow wine lover, and keep exploring with the wine adventures below. Santé!

Santé / Cheers!

How about you? Have you tried Beaujolais wine? If yes, share your experience, share your favorite! If not, have I piqued your interest? Do you plan on finding a bottle near you and giving it a try? Do tell!

For a visual summary, check out my Beaujolais web story!

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