FRANCE: Beaujolais
2017 Gold: 3 Silver: 3 Bronze: 2 Commended: 7
2016 Gold: 3 Silver: 2 Bronze: 4 Commended: 5
OK. Where do you stand on the big issues of the day, such as Fake News, Brexit and, er, carbonic maceration in Beaujolais. The region has been at least partly defined by the latter down the years, but happily it seems to be moving away from that and, with a good vintage in the bottle, our tasters were largely happy with what they got here.
Given the stellar nature of 2015 we might have expected a bit more ‘wow factor’, but this was still a consistent, and well-priced section of this year’s competition. And as prices of Bourgogne Rouge head relentlessly north, it’s a style that we’re sure you’ll be buying (and selling) more of in the years to come. Particularly the cru wines. The value here was astonishing.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘On our list we have presented Beaujolais next to Burgundy, and as the prices of the latter go off into the sunset, it’s getting more popular. The two are not really that similar stylistically, but they’re not too big a stretch for Burgundy lovers either.’ Hamish Anderson, Tate Catering
‘Obviously, it’s a good vintage, but you really could see the difference of the crus, too. They were very diverse.’ Mattin Larraburu, Sexy Fish
‘There were some fantastic representations of Beaujolais here. At this price it punches above its weight. I’m a bit scared that the US will latch on to Beaujolais and it will get to Burgundy prices. Most of these were at the £7-£11 mark – great value for money.’ Kelvin McCabe, Yauatcha
‘I gave better marks for the simple wines than the more expensive ones.’ Agustin Trapero, Avenue