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Location: South of the Mâconnais, north of Lyon.
Red grape: Gamay defines the region’s red identity.
White grape: Chardonnay explains Beaujolais blanc; do not infer that every Beaujolais wine is red.
Study connection: The CMS Burgundy topic includes the Beaujolais crus, kept separate from Burgundy’s AOC inventory here.

Northern hills: Granite, weathered blue rock and other formations recur around the crus.
Southern vineyards: Clay and limestone are more prominent in many southern sectors.
Site variation: Altitude, exposure and soil depth affect ripening; no single soil formula describes every cru.
Style variation: Cru, grower, extraction and maturity matter together; not every Beaujolais is light or immediately ready.
Climate: Continental, oceanic and Mediterranean influences meet here. Spring frost, summer heat and storms are useful risks to recognise; relief and exposure modify their effect.

Northern names: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas and Moulin-à-Vent.
Middle names: Fleurie, Chiroubles and Morgon.
Southern names: Régnié, Côte de Brouilly and Brouilly.
Classification: 10 distinct red cru appellations; the term cru does not mean Burgundy Grand Cru.

Saint-Amour: The northernmost cru, around Saint-Amour-Bellevue.
Moulin-à-Vent: Named after a windmill, not a commune; associated with Romanèche-Thorins and Chénas.
Chiroubles: A high, steep hillside amphitheatre.
Morgon: Around Villié-Morgon; Côte du Py is a named sector, not another cru appellation.
Brouilly pair: Côte de Brouilly covers slopes of Mont Brouilly; Brouilly surrounds the hill below. They are separate AOCs.

Strict carbonic: Intact berries sit in a CO2-rich, oxygen-poor vat, with CO2 supplied to establish the atmosphere; intracellular processes take place in the berries.
Traditional semi-carbonic: Yeast fermentation in juice at the vat bottom supplies CO2, while intact berries above undergo intracellular fermentation.
After pressing: Free-run and pressed juice can finish alcoholic fermentation together.
Producer choices: Whole bunches, partial or full destemming, maceration and extraction vary; not every cru follows one recipe.

Assess: Taste for fragrance, acidity, tannin and maturity. Fresh, supple Gamay suits a lighter meal; a firm Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent needs a dish with enough weight. Grower and extraction matter alongside the cru.
Pair · supple reds: Try saucisson brioché or roast chicken with a light thyme jus: acidity refreshes the buttery pastry or crisp skin, while gentle tannins keep the pairing light. Mushrooms sautéed in butter also suit a fragrant, supple bottle.
Pair · fuller crus: Choose duck breast with a savoury cherry jus or beef with shallot sauce. The meat and reduced sauce support a fuller wine; keep fruit sauces savoury rather than sugary so the wine does not taste sharp.
White & cheese: For Chardonnay-based Beaujolais blanc, try trout with lemon butter: match the sauce’s richness to the wine’s body. A supple red with Saint-Félicien offers fresh fruit against the creamy cheese; a very ripe, pungent cheese can overwhelm it.
Service: Start supple reds at 13–15°C, fuller reds at 15–16°C and blanc around 10°C, allowing it to warm in the glass. Taste first; aerate a robust, closed red and recheck after 15–20 minutes. Gently separate sediment from mature bottles just before pouring; an open, fragile wine needs no extra air.
Nouveau: Do not use Beaujolais Nouveau as shorthand for the entire region or its crus.

Broader origins: Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages are broader label references alongside the ten named red crus. Beaujolais-Villages does not mean one of those ten cru AOCs.
Grapes and style: Gamay is the red and rosé reference; Chardonnay explains white wines. Read the colour and the precise appellation before inferring the style.
Geography: Beaujolais-Villages is associated with hill country between the broader southern Beaujolais area and the northern crus. The ten crus have their own delimited areas, already shown in the north-to-south route.

Several crus gained AOC status in 1936, before Nouveau’s commercial debut in 1951: the region’s history reaches well beyond young harvest wines.
Nouveau’s third-Thursday-in-November release was fixed in 1985. Its international celebration strongly shaped the region’s public image.
Banana-like notes can come from isoamyl acetate, an ester formed during fermentation. Yeast and fermentation conditions shape them; they do not mean artificial flavouring was added.