Beaujolais Villages is the appellation for red, white and rosé wines from an area of 38 villages in the northern Beaujolais. The hilly terrain and granitic soil are considered superior to the flatter land of southern Beaujolais. As a result, Beaujolais Villages wines are considered to be of higher quality than those of the simple Beaujolais appellation. These juicy, light wines are based largely on the Gamay Grape.
They have a variety of red fruit and spice characters. Most of the wines at this level are made by semi-carbonic Maceration, called traditional maceration here. A small proportion of Chardonnay, Aligoté, Melon de Bourgogne, Pinot Gris or Pinot Noir is allowed in the blend. These grape varieties must not represent more than 15% of the total Vineyard area.
Gamay is a Burgundian grape variety that has existed since the 14th century. For fear of competition with the pinot noir of Burgundy, gamay was finally uprooted and planted in the Beaujolais region, from Mâcon to Lyon. These siliceous and granitic soils suit it perfectly, and it gives its best here. But it is also planted all over France, such as in Lorraine, in the Loire Valley, in Bugey, in Savoie and in Auvergne. Gamay is early and very productive and needs to be limited so that quality prevails over quantity. Short winter pruning of the shoots and high density of vines per hectare are the methods that allow it to produce very fruity, fresh and greedy red wines. Gamay is also very popular in red wine futures, and produces wines from the Beaujolais region with very interesting character and ageing potential. The AOCs Crémant-de-Bourgogne, Mâcon, Anjou, Touraine, Rosé de vallée de la Loire, Côtes-d'Auvergne, Saint-Pourçain, Bugey, Gaillac, Côtes du Luberon... and many vins de pays are proud of it. Today, about 36,000 hectares of Gamay are cultivated in France, including 22,000 hectares in Beaujolais.
red wines from the region of Beaujolais-Villages go well with generally quite well with dishes of pasta, veal or pork such as recipes of spaghetti neapolitan style, mouse of lamb with thyme or brazilian feijoada.
On the nose in the region of Beaujolais-Villages often reveals types of flavors of cherry, caramel or ripe strawberries and sometimes also flavors of perfume, almonds or mint. In the mouth in the region of Beaujolais-Villages is a with a nice freshness.
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