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Secret Beaujolais: Our expert guide to must-visit wineries and restaurants

Now with a wealth of stylish hotel and restaurant offerings to match the glorious Gamays of its celebrated crus, this region to the south of Burgundy is the perfect, off-radar wine destination.
Natasha Hughes MW Natasha Hughes MW

Midway between Burgundy’s Côte d’Or and Côte-Rôtie in the northern Rhône, and close to the major city of Lyon, you’d think that Beaujolais would be one of the most visited wine regions in France: a vital pitstop on anyone’s vinous pilgrimage.

Instead, wine tourism in Beaujolais is, to say the least, underdeveloped. Despite the willingness of many of the region’s best domaines to fling their doors open wide and welcome visitors, tasting rooms remain relatively quiet.

Having spent substantial periods in Beaujolais researching my recently published book, The Wines of Beaujolais, I have to say that I think you’re all missing a trick. Leaving aside the warm welcome extended by producers in Beaujolais, there are plenty of other reasons to tempt wine lovers to visit the area.

maison du cru, beaujolais

Expansive views looking eastward over the Saône plain from Maison du Cru. Photo credit: Fabrice Ferrer.

To begin with, there’s the sheer natural beauty of the vineyards. The location of Beaujolais, lying between the Massif Central on its western side and the Alps over to the east, has given rise to an undulating landscape that affords new views every time you turn a corner.

Perching on slopes or nestling in valleys, small villages are built out of local stone – pink granite and blue diorite in the crus in the region’s northern section, and orange-tinged limestone in the south.

In addition to aesthetic pleasures, you’ll find hedonistic ones, too. The region’s wines are on the up: quality is high and the range of styles made from Gamay, the hallmark Beaujolais grape, is surprisingly diverse. Even so, prices remain resolutely affordable.

Good wine goes hand in hand with great gastronomy, of course, and the restaurant scene in Beaujolais has recently rediscovered its mojo.

Visitors can look forward to tucking into Michelin-starred meals, as well as hearty country cuisine. All of this bounty is packed into a tiny region that measures just over 70km in length, and – at most – 20km from east to west.

Most of the visitable wineries are located in the crus and it’s rare to have to drive more than 15 minutes from one tasting to the next. Some wineries are even within easy walking distance of each other.

The 10 Beaujolais crus

Some better known than others, there are 10 individual, named appellations in the Beaujolais region where the highest-quality wines are produced. Running in a roughly contiguous line north to south, between the villages of Chânes and St-Etienne-la-Varenne, they are:

St-Amour | Juliénas | Chénas | Moulin-à-Vent | Fleurie | Chiroubles | Morgon | Régnié | Brouilly | Côte de Brouilly

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