Beaujolais bounces back: Get to grips with this great summer wine
Every now and again I follow my heart and try to convince you to try a few unloved wines. Usually this mean Riesling and sherry. I know most of you are unlikely to pay any attention, but I am relatively content, knowing I can continue to enjoy both of these great wines at reasonable prices.
I have also suggested you try Muscadet and Beaujolais. I am not sure about Muscadet, but Beaujolais is enjoying a genuine resurgence as consumers seek out lighter wines. Beaujolais is the perfect summer wine, although I drink it all year round. It is typically low in alcohol, with juicy fresh fruits and is the perfect picnic or alfresco wine, to be consumed cool, on sunny days.
The Beaujolais region can be divided neatly into two. The southern half has inferior soils (with a few exceptions) and produces wine simply labelled Beaujolais, the most basic wine. The northern half is a mass of different granite and schist soils. Beaujolais Villages, a step up from Beaujolais, comes from one or more of 39 villages in the northern half. At the very top are 10 crus, the villages with the very best soils.
Each cru has a character and style all of its own, depending on the soil. Fleurie is said to be floral and scented, Julienas richer and more powerful. And so on. All of the wines, from Beaujolais to the very best cru, are made entirely from the Gamay grape.
All are likely to be nimble and fruit-filled, although some, such as Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent, can have a tannic structure that rewards ageing. I am enjoying my last bottles of 2008 and 2009 Moulin-à-Vent (from Domaine Vissoux, available from Terroirs, Donnybrook). While each wine may taste different, they all have a common thread that unites them.
Most of the supermarkets have a basic Beaujolais on offer. Aldi has a Beaujolais Villages for €7.99, and Marks & Spencer has one for €10.50 and a Fleurie for €13. While these are very acceptable, if you venture to the smaller single-estate wines (sadly, usually €20 or more) you will find some really great wines.
As indicated above, Beaujolais is a great warm weather wine, the kind you would love to be served sitting outside a cafe in France or in the cool of an evening at home.
It is a great match for the famous foods of the nearby city of Lyon – salade Lyonnaise with bacon, pâtés, cold meats, sausages, chicken and pork, but it will happily partner any lighter barbecued foods, including burgers and white meats.
Fleurie Tradition 2016, Domaine de la Madone
13% €20.95
A delicious, fresh, thirst-quenching wine with juicy dark-cherry fruits. Serve cool with charcuterie, salads and crusty sourdough bread.
From Mitchell & Son, Dublin 1, Sandycove, Co Dublin, and Avoca, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow, and Dunboyne, Co Meath, mitchellandson.com; Myles Doyle, Gorey, Co Wexford, myselectgrocer.com; Wilde & Green, Dublin 6, wildeandgreen.com
Lucien Lardy Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes 2016
12.5%, €22
Perfumed, refined strawberry fruits with freshly cut hay; good acidity and a nice succulence to the fruit. With seared salmon or tuna.
From Searsons, Monkstown, Co Dublin, searsons.com; Mortons of Galway, mortonsofgalway.ie; Daly’s, Boyle, Co Roscommon; Martin’s Off-Licence, Dublin 3, martinsofflicence.ie; D-Six Wines, Dublin 6; peggykellys.ie; Coach House, Dublin 16, thecoachhouseofflicence.ie; Red Island Wine, Skerries, Co Dublin; Thomas’s of Foxrock, Co Dublin, thomasoffoxrock.ie; Grapevine, Dalkey, Co Dublin, onthegrapevine.ie
Daniel Bouland Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes 2016
13.5%, €26
Elegant and refined with a seductive fragrance; combines freshness and power with concentrated dark cherry fruits and soft, fine tannins. Some garlicky Toulouse sausages with green lentils.
From Cabot and Co, Westport, Co Mayo, cabotandco.com; Ely 64, Glasthule, Co Dublin, ely64.com; No 1 Pery Square, Limerick, oneperysquare.com
Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon La Voûte St-Vincent 2017
12.5%, €27
An utterly charming wine, fragrant and fresh, with layers of elegant ripe red fruits, but with real depth and concentration too. Serve with roast or grilled chicken or chicken salads.
From Ely 64, Glasthule, Co Dublin, ely64.com; La Touche, Greystones, Co Wicklow, latouchewines4u.ie; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Clontarf Wines, Dublin 3, clontarfwines.ie
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