{"id":1689,"date":"2020-07-31T15:41:21","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T13:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devbnportail.mediacrossing.fr\/appellation\/beaujolais-villages\/"},"modified":"2024-05-14T16:45:59","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T14:45:59","slug":"beaujolais-villages","status":"publish","type":"appellation","link":"https:\/\/www.beaujolais.com\/en\/appellation\/beaujolais-villages\/","title":{"rendered":"Beaujolais Villages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HISTORY DATING BACK TO 977<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have ever had the chance to visit the Beaujolais Villages appellation, you have most likely seen the magnificent ch\u00e2teau that overlooks the vineyards. It is hard to miss the marvellous estate in Pierres Dor\u00e9es.  Nicknamed \u2018Sleeping Beauty\u2019s\u2019 Ch\u00e2teau, it is in fact Ch\u00e2teau de Montmelas. Restored in the Gothic Revival architectural style in the 19th<\/sup> century by Louis Dupasquier<\/a>, a Lyonnais architect who was a contemporary of Viollet-le-Duc, its history actually dates back to 977.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that time, it was the residence of the Lords of Beaujeu, who gave their name to the Beaujolais region, as you will no doubt have guessed! It was also at this time that the monks of Cluny played a role in developing the vineyard on many hillsides which would later be classified as an appellation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE FIRST “VILLAGES” APPELLATION IN HISTORY<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the Beaujolais Villages appellation is not limited to the area around Ch\u00e2teau de Montmelas alone. Smaller than that of the Beaujolais appellation, the production area actually surrounds the 10 crus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is worth nothing that, although you can now find different wines that include the name “villages”, in 1950 Beaujolais was the first to officially use the term to designate a very specific part of its AOC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beaujolais Villages wines are essentially red, but the Beaujolais Villages white and ros\u00e9 wines are worth discovering. These vintages \u2013 rarer in quantity \u2013 are often in high demand by connoisseurs, looking for an aromatic wine with a certain complexity and structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A HEROIC WINE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beaujolais Villages appellation is sculpted on the best slopes of the vineyard, located between 190 and 550 metres in altitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people talk about the Beaujolais Villages vineyards, it is not uncommon to hear them describe it as “heroic”.  It is true that the vineyard is often located on especially steep slopes! Both the vines and the winegrowers deserve respect as they enhance the hillsides on this terroir. Imagine the physical feats the winegrowers have to make to cultivate the vines on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next time you make a toast with a glass of Beaujolais Villages, you will no doubt have a thought for the men and women who cultivate it with passion day after day. Harvesting is mostly done by hand, which gives the winemaker more work and the wine more quality. Harvest time definitely offers the perfect opportunity to select only the best grapes to ensure that each cuv\u00e9e has an intense, yet supple bouquet. When tasting, have fun naming the different red fruit aromas that blend together to make such expressive wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above all, wines from the Beaujolais Villages appellation can be enjoyed throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beaujolais Villages winemakers are also making “nouveaux” wines in red and ros\u00e9 ! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last but not least, the Beaujolais Villages appellation is available in a “Nouveau” version which is available for tasting from the 3rd<\/sup> Thursday of November. They make up 40% of the wines sold as Beaujolais Nouveau reds and ros\u00e9s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":596,"template":"","thematique":[],"class_list":["post-1689","appellation","type-appellation","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beaujolais.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/appellation\/1689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beaujolais.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/appellation"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beaujolais.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/appellation"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beaujolais.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beaujolais.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"thematique","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beaujolais.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thematique?post=1689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}