Red, white and rosé – Chill out with Beaujo’ this summer
Quaff your way through the wines of Beaujolais by discovering its 12 appellations
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Now that summer is officially here, Inter Beaujolais, the official wine-trade organization of the region, invites you to “chill” with a bottle of Beaujolais for all your upcoming summer activities – Beaches, BBQs, and Birthday Bashes alike!
Anthony Collet, Marketing & Communications Director of Inter Beaujolais says, “The American consumer has always enjoyed versatile wines and Beaujolais offers great variety.” He adds, “Aside from selecting Beaujolais’ whites and rosés for summer, we highly encourage consumers to enjoy the reds through the season by slightly chilling them to extract the fruity, spicy flavor that pairs perfectly with popular BBQ fare.” Great Beaujo’ pairings include hot-dogs, bacon cheeseburgers, pulled-pork and more!
Beaujolais, one of the oldest wine regions in the world, has been expertly crafting wines for over 2,000 years. The grape varieties in these wines are Chardonnay for Whites and Gamay for Reds, a refreshing alternative to heavier reds with good acidity and soft tannins. When slightly chilling the red wines, the flavor profile is accentuated offering brighter, tangy fruit flavors (apple, pear, berry, cherry), which bring a cheerful greeting to July’s warmth.
Currently available on shelves across the U.S. is the awe-inspiring 2009 vintage! It’s been touted by wine critics as a splendid vintage, destined to catapult Beaujolais into the spotlight, gaining the respect it deserves.
The Beaujolais region consists of 12 appellations, which can be divided into two categories: Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages, the largest appellation area, produces ready-to-drink fruity wines, brimming with youth, while the second category is the richer, deeper wines classified as Cru. These ten Crus are all located on steep granite hills in the northern part of the region, where the most distinctive Beaujolais is produced. These Crus range from medium-bodied Saint-Amour, Chiroubles, Régnié, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, to the more full-bodied Crus of Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent and Morgon, which are said to have the most aging potential.
Besides bright, juicy, mouthwatering red wines, this region also produces enticing rosés and whites. Though the region produces only a small production of Beaujolais Blanc, it is available in limited quantities on the U.S. market!
Exports of Beaujolais to the U.S. between 2009 and 2010 have increased by +14%. Furthermore, in the same time period, exports of Beaujolais Cru jumped +112%. This parallels with recent data released by IWSR, the International Wine and Spirits Record, which forecasted that the U. S. would surpass France in consumption by volume, thus becoming the largest wine consuming nation by 2012.
For more information, please visit www.DiscoverBeaujolais.com to find recipes, food &wine pairings, Live Tasting Events with renowned wine expert Rodolphe Boulanger Tweeting from @DiscoverBojo, newsletters and more!
Note to Editors:
Most consumers have long associated Beaujolais with Beaujolais Nouveau, the popular release of “un-finished” and “un-aged” wines only produced from the Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages appellations, celebrated globally in November of each year. Nevertheless, with the recent accolades of the 2009 vintage, the region is quite possibly experiencing a re-birth, as consumers get to know that there’s more to Beaujolais than just a Red wine.
Understanding Beaujolais Crus:
1 – The three lightest-bodied Crus → Brouilly, Régnié, Chiroubles
2 – The three more medium-bodied Crus → Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Saint-Amour
3 – The four fullest-bodied Crus → Chénas, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent
About Inter Beaujolais
Inter Beaujolais is the official wine-trade organization of the region. Its primary mission is to promote Beaujolais wines in France and in key export markets through raising awareness of the region. In addition, Inter Beaujolais is responsible for three other major activities: research and development - they boast the largest research facility in France - economic studies to best position their offer, and lastly, the protection and the defense of the Beaujolais AOC. For more information, please log on to: www.beaujolais.com.