What is the climate of Beaujolais?

Continental
2
Beaujolais overlaps the southern part of which other subregion in Burgundy?
The very northern part of Beaujolais overlaps a bit of the southernmost portion of the
Mâconnais.
3
What is the red grape grown in Beaujolais?
Gamay
4
What is the traditional pruning method in Beaujolais?
Gobelet (aka Bush vine)
5
In what type of soils are the best red wines in Beaujolais grown?
Granitic soils that are nutrient deficient.
6
What is carbonic maceration?
Carbonic maceration is a winemaking technique used for red wine production that extracts
intense color and fruit flavors but little tannin.

 Whole clusters of Gamay are put into tanks, carbon dioxide is pumped into the tank and
the tank is sealed, creating an anaerobic environment;
 Due to the absence of oxygen the berries undergo an intracellular fermentation (without
the help of yeasts). In this anaerobic environment some tannin and lots of color
are transferred to the flesh from the skins while the grapes are building up carbon
dioxide, which then force them to burst;
 Once carbonic maceration has completed (7-10 days) the winemaker pumps both the free
run and pressed juice from the skins into another vessel to allow yeasts to finish primary
fermentation, rendering the wine dry and very fruity.

7
What are some of the flavors derived from carbonic maceration?
 Bubble gum
 Banana
 Kirsch
 Cinnamon
 Gum drops
 Red licorice

8
Is Beaujolais Nouveau produced via carbonic maceration or traditional methods?
Most Beaujolais Nouveau is produced using carbonic maceration.

Beaujolais Nouveau is intentionally made for early drinking.

9
When can Beaujolais Nouveau be released?
Beaujolais Nouveau can be released on the third Thursday of November the same year of
harvest.
10
Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be sold after ____ the year after harvest.
August 31
11
How are the soils different from northern Beaujolais to southern Beaujolais?
Northern Beaujolais has more granite and schist soils, and the northern landscape has more
rolling hills than the south.

Southern Beaujolais is on an alluvial plain with sandy soils, and the earth here is flatter than
in the north.
12
Will one find more white wine or more red wine from Beaujolais?
Red wine

Gamay is king in Beaujolais but there can be some Chardonnay found on limestone
outcroppings; Chardonnay from Beaujolais is sold as Beaujolais Blanc.
13
What is the hierarchy of quality wines in Beaujolais?
From highest to lowest:
  Crus of Beaujolais
 Beaujolais-Villages
 Beaujolais

14
What are the 10 Crus of Beaujolais from north to south?

(The 4 you need to know for the exam, which also have the highest production, are in bold.)
From north to south, the 10 are:

1. Saint-Amour
2. Juliénas
3. Chénas
4. Moulin-à-Vent
5. Fleurie
6. Chiroubles
7. Morgon
8. Régnié
9. Côte de Brouilly
10. Brouilly - Brouilly surrounds Côte de Brouilly

15
Which Crus of Beaujolais offer wines with the most structure and concentration?
 Morgon
 Moulin-à-Vent

16
Which Crus of Beaujolais offer wines that are more perfumed and aromatic, and tend to
be lighter in style?
 Brouilly
 Fleurie

NOTE: You don't need to know this for the exam, but while Brouilly and Fleurie *tend* to be
lighter in style compared to Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent, the Cru that produces the
lightest wines overall is Saint-Amour.
17
 Grapes for Beaujolais Nouveau can only come from where?

Additionally, where are the grapes NOT allowed to come from?

Study These Flashcards

Beaujolais Nouveau wines can only be of Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages quality.

The 10 Crus of Beaujolais may NOT be sold as Beaujolais Nouveau.

18
How is semi-carbonic maceration different from carbonic maceration?

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Semi-carbonic maceration does not utilize pumped-in carbon dioxide. Instead, a winemaker will
rely on the carbon dioxide naturally produced by fermentation.

 Whole clusters at the bottom of the tank will be crushed from the weight of the grapes
above, allowing natural yeasts that were on the grapes to start fermenting the juice
released from burst berries;
 The CO2 produced ignites the intracellular fermentation so even on a semi-carbonic wine
there will be the tell-tale flavors of this technique (florals, candied banana, Kirsch, tutti-
fruity notes).

19
How many villages lie within the Beaujolais-Villages AOP?

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39 villages

Most of the wines in Beaujolais-Villages are blended across villages, which is why individual
villages are rarely seen on labels.

None of the 10 Crus of Beaujolais are included in this group of 39.

20
In the 10 Crus of Beaujolais, the winemaking technique most often used is traditional or carbonic
maceration?
 Study These Flashcards

Traditional

Most will receive at least some aging in large, neutral vats.

21
Will red wines from Beaujolais display heavy notes of oak?

Study These Flashcards

No, the reds from Beaujolais will rarely, if ever, display oaky notes as the wines are fermented
and aged in large, neutral vats.
22
If a Beaujolais winemaker makes their wine traditionally in large, neutral casks, what
2 techniques can they use to give the wine brighter fruit characteristics?

Study These Flashcards

 Semi-carbonic maceration
 Small propo