Beaujolais, France
The final episode of Grape Minds series 2 saw us speak with Simon Rogan: a chef of 5 Michelin stars, including 3 for the almighty L’enclume - best restaurant in the UK - and our vegcentric food hero. It was an enormous honour.
Simon - much to our delight - chose a Beaujolais (the Morgon below) and it was the finest Beaujolais we’ve ever tasted. Impeccable structure, lots of red fruit, and keen acidity.
Catch the episode on our IGTV. Thank you Simon, and your wonderful team for joining us.
5 facts on Beaujolais:
It’s a region… not a grape. Beaujolais lies just south of Burgundy and the wines are made from the gamay grape.
There are 39 villages which contribute to the appellation ‘Beaujolais Villages’, but only 10 ‘crus status’ villages which produce the best wines of the region - these are labelled ‘Beaujolais Crus’ and will note the ‘village’ on the bottle.
‘Beaujolais style’ is a thing. It’s a style of wine referenced to the world over; it’s light, fragrant, fresh and fruity with plenty of red fruit flavours - cherries, raspberries and violets; it’s medium bodied, with medium levels of tannins at most, and medium-high acidity.
In the south of the region Beaujolais Nouveau is made - it’s the fruitiest and ‘poppiest’ wine from the region and intended for early drinking. It is released on the third Thursday of November each year - Beaujolais Nouveau Day - with street party celebrations and fireworks!
‘Beaujolais Crus’ wines age beautifully (and are similar to Burgundian Pinot Noirs over time), but crack into Beaujolais Villages and Beaujolais Nouveau wine ASAP and enjoy them slightly chilled!
4 pairings for Beaujolais:
Roasted monkfish with red wine
On Grape Minds Simon Rogan talked us through a dish of roasted monkfish braised in red wine and served with a roasted bone sauce. It had us salivating on camera. The slightly ‘meaty’ texture of monkfish is the perfect sparring partner for a lighter red wine such as a Beaujolais.
Venison & beetroot carpaccio with pickled cherries
This lean meat matches the body of this keen, lean red; and sweet earthy beetroot echoes the red fruit flavours of Beaujolais perfectly, as well as the earthier notes one would find in an aged Beaujolais Crus, such as the Morgon below… a little potting soil and forest floor.
THIS pear & roquefort tart… a truly magical combo!
Sweet & sour rice salad with cherries, pine nuts & all the herbs
Matching red fruit with red fruit is a no brainer, as is a wholesome and flavoursome summer salad with a light red wine. Sweet fruity cherries match the wine’s famous ‘cherries & raspberries’ profile and tart pomegranate molasses goes toe-to-toe with Beaujolais’s bright acidity without overpowering with astringency. Find the recipe here.
A favourite Beaujolais:
Region: Morgon
Vintage: 2019
ABV: 13.5%
Producer: Marcel Lapierre (organic & biodynamic)
On the nose: Fresh red fruits - ripe and juicy without being jammy - cherries, raspberries and a camp flourish of violet. There’s a real energy to the nose - it promises something vibrant and lively.
On the palate: Exquisite! Generous, fresh red fruits and a lick of liquorice are layered over a lean and elegant structure: bright acidity, tight, fresh tannins (which would unfold with age), and a keen precision and clarity of flavour. This wine straddles lightness and richness simultaneously; it’s quality and class through and through.