278: The Surprising Complexity of Beaujolais with Natasha Hughes, Contributor to On Burgundy: From Maddening to Marvellous in 59 Tales

Unreserved Wine Talk

What’s behind the surprising complexity and variety of Beaujolais wines? How has Beaujolais Nouveau distorted the public perception of Beaujolais? What makes Beaujolais such a good value wine?

In this Unreserved Wine Talk podcast episode, I'm chatting with Master of Wine and author, Natasha Hughes.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

Giveaway

One of you will win a copy of a terrific, new book to which Natasha Hughes is a contributor- On Burgundy: From Maddening to Marvellous in 59 Tales.

To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [e-mail] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose one person randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

Highlights

What might surprise you about the complexity of the Beaujolais region and wine?

How has Beaujolais Nouveau somewhat distorted the public perception of Beaujolais?

Where is Beaujolais connected to Burgundy?

How does soil greatly influence the quality of wine produced from Gamay grapes?

When was Beaujolais Nouveau introduced to the world and how did it affect the quality of wine produced in the region?

What was behind the declining popularity of Beaujolais in the 80s and 90s?

Which are Beaujolais’ top 10 crus?

Why are Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, and Morgon the most structured of the cru wines?

How is the geological complexity of Beaujolais reflected in the wines produced in the region?

What’s behind the elevating prices for Beaujolais wines?

How can a vineyard gain Premier Cru status?

Key Takeaways

What’s behind the surprising complexity and variety of Beaujolais wines? There’s a lot of geographical complexity, despite it being such a small region.

How has Beaujolais Nouveau distorted the public perception of Beaujolais? Nouveau introduced the world to cheap and cheerful wines, but the quality of wine suffered in the race to compete with new, easy-drinking New World wines.

What makes Beaujolais such a good value wine? Despite increasing quality and correspondingly increasing prices, Beaujolais represents a good value compared to bordering regions.

Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live

Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wed at 7 pm ET on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video.

I want to hear from you! What’s your opinion of what we’re discussing? What takeaways or tips do you love most from this chat? What questions do you have that we didn’t answer?

Want to know when we go live? Add this to your calendar: https://www.addevent.com/calendar/CB262621

About Natasha Hughes

Natasha Hughes MW graduated as a Master of Wine in 2014, winning four out of the seven prizes awarded that year, including the Outstanding Achievement Award. Natasha began her wine trade career as deputy editor for Decanter’s website but left in 2001 to begin freelancing as a journalist, specialising in wine and food. Natasha has contributed material for a number of books, and is currently working on her first solo effort, a book on Beaujolais, for the Wine Library series.

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/278.