Beaujolais has been put back on the map

Georges Duboeuf, often referred to as the King of Beaujolais, died last week at the age of 86. I met him a couple of times and found him very serious and scrupulously polite. If I hadn’t known who he was, I think I might have believed him to be an academic.

He is credited with rescuing Beaujolais from the doldrums into which it had descended in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He had the challenging idea of turning the local vin de l’année — which was traditionally drunk in the region before Christmas each year — into what we would now call ‘A Thing’. Thus was created Beaujolais Nouveau, a form of wine that probably did the reputation of Beaujolais as much harm as good.

The idea was to create a red wine with negligible tannins and, by using maceration carbonique, to make it light and fragrant or, as its detractors occasionally express it, smelling of bubble gum.

Beaujolais Nouveau had its heyday in the late 1970s and early 1980s and then went out of fashion. There has been a mild renaissance and the new style seems to become a bit less frivolous.

Duboeuf came from a family who grew vines in a small way but he built up a huge business that became the most recognisable emblem of the region. His exuberantly floral labels reflected the style of the wines while — a lot would argue — ironing out the more obvious differences between the crus or wines of the distinctive villages throughout Beaujolais, such as Fleurie and Morgon.

These days, Beaujolais is resurgent. Young, enthusiastic winemakers who can’t afford land in the Côte d’Or are adopting the Gamay grape in preference to Pinot Noir and making some remarkably Burgundian (i.e. Pinot-style) wines. Duboeuf saved the region from oblivion but a new generation seem to be really putting Beaujolais on the map.

This week I have five lovely ambassadors for Beaujolais to suit different budgets. Finally, do visit Beaujolais. It’s prettier, cheaper and friendlier than the Côte d’Or.

The new style seems to be a bit less frivolous