Beaujolais (province)

Beaujolais (French pronunciation: [boʒɔlɛ]; Arpitan: Biôjolês) is a historical province and a wine-producing region in France. It is located north of Lyon, and covers parts of the north of the Rhône département (Rhône-Alpes) and parts of the south of the Saône-et-Loire département (Burgundy). The region is known internationally for its long tradition of winemaking, and more recently for the enormously popular Beaujolais nouveau.

History

See History of France

Geography

Beaujolais' location in France

Beaujolais landscape

The historical capital of the province is Beaujeu (Arpitan: Bôjor / Biôjœr) and the economic capital of the area is Villefranche-sur-Saône (Velafranche).

The Beaujolais Region is located south of Burgundy and its climate is warmer. Because of the difference in region, the Pinot Noir grape normally grown in Burgundy would not do well here. The best soils are mostly granite.

Wine

Main article: Beaujolais (wine)

Almost all the wine produced in the region is red wine from the Gamay grape, of which the heavily-marketed Beaujolais Nouveau is the most famous, the village crus the most prized.

Notes and references

External links

Coordinates: 46°05′N 04°40′E / 46.083°N 4.667°E / 46.083; 4.667

Historical provinces of France

Alsace Angoumois Anjou Artois Aunis Auvergne Basse-Navarre Béarn Beaujolais Berry Bourbonnais Brittany Burgundy Champagne Corsica Dauphiné Flanders and Hainaut Foix Forez Franche-Comté Gascony Guyenne Île-de-France Languedoc Limousin Lorraine Lyonnais Maine Marche Montbéliard Mulhouse Nice Nivernais Normandy Orléanais Perche Picardy Poitou Provence Roussillon Saintonge Savoy Touraine Trois-Évêchés Venaissin

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