Beaujolais Wineries - Beaujolais Wine Regions on The WineWeb (original) (raw)

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Wineries in Beaujolais can be searched by clicking on a region in the Beaujolais wine regions map.
Over 1,200 Beaujolais wineries are integrated into our winery directory, and many wines
are available direct from the winery or from wine merchants.

You can buy Beaujolais wine online from many Beaujolais wineries or from participating wine merchants.
When you see a list of wineries, note the shopping cart icon as this indicates that you can buy this wine online.
Also included on the search results page are other links about Beaujolais wine.

Beaujolais Wineries can be found by clicking on a region in this Beaujolais wine regions map
Map provided by Beaujolais Wines.

The Beaujolais wine region of France is located south of Burgundy, between Mâcon and Lyon. Beaujolais is a prosperous wine region. Cultivating almost 55,000 acres, more than the other three departments of Burgundy combined, it produces an average of 13 million cases annually. Best of all, once a year, when the world falls in love with Beaujolais Nouveau, nearly half of this crop is pressed, fermented, racked, fined, filtered and sold within weeks.

Beaujolais is diverse geographically, but is unified by the Gamay Noir grape. Ninety-eight percent of the area is planted with it. The other 2% is basically planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Unlike Bordeaux, there are no large properties in Beaujolais. The system, called "vigneronnage," consists of hundreds of small to medium sized properties on which the wine grapes are grown. Most of these grapes are purchased by Négociants who make and market the wines.

Beaujolais is comprised of 12 appellations and is divided into Haut- and Bas-Beaujolais. This division is based on distinctions in the soil of each area. The valley of the River Nizerand, just north of the regional capital of Villefranche, is the dividing point. South of the river is the flat plains of Bas-Beaujolais with rich soil that is mostly limestone/clay with some sandy areas. This soil produces more quantity than quality. North of the River Nizerand is Haut-Beaujolais with hilly topography that has a lighter granite and schist based sandy soil and therefore makes a better wine. It is in Haut-Beaujolais that you will find the Beaujolais-Villages appellation and the 10 Beaujolais Crus.

Beaujolais has a temperate climate with warm summers and cool winters. Snow is common in the winter as a result of its proximity to the Massif Central Mountains to the west. The hills of Beaujolais provide some protection from the cold and rain generated in these mountains, but in late summer, hailstorms are a regular threat to the wine grape growers.