Beaujolais Villages & Food Pairing

Beaujolais Villages pairs best with lighter fare, such as Hamburgers, Turkey Sandwiches, Chicken Wings, Lazy Brunch Buffets, Picnic Potlucks, Pad Tai and Sausage on a bun. Beaujolais Villages is a light red wine from France that is made with Gamay Noir grape and is often considered the ‘Poor Man’s Burgundy’ due to its inexpensive cost. Beaujolais Villages features tart cherry, cranberry, strawberry and raspberry flavours, along with hints of bubblegum, banana, violet, candy apple, mushroom and smoke. If you don’t like the funkier flavours of Beaujolais Villages, serve it lightly chilled to mute them.

Best Wine with Beaujolais Villages

Grilled Sausage on a Bun & Beaujolais Villages

Grilled Sausage often involves a myriad of toppings, such as ketchup, mustard, grilled onions, mushrooms or Sauerkraut. Since Beaujolais Villages lack tannin, it won’t have to fight with the acidic vinegar in the Mustard or against the zing of Sauerkraut. Instead, you’ll find unity as the flavours of the wine, the grilled Sausage and any topping you choose blend together in perfect harmony.

We usually eat grilled sausage on a bun in the early afternoon or in the summer sun, such as during a ballgame, before a performance, at a BBQ, and so on. Beaujolais’ low alcohol content helps it to provide a sensation of refreshment, allowing you to enjoy the festivities without being overly inebriated and dehydrated.

Chicken Wings & Beaujolais Villages

Beaujolais is ideal for spicy chicken wings because of its crisp acidity and low alcohol concentration, provided they aren’t overly hot. Alcohol and hot sauce do not mix very well as the alcohol will only fuel the Caspian content found in hot sauce, making it taste like fire. Thus, for reasonably hot chicken wings, you will want a lower alcohol red like Beaujolais Villages. Here the red fruit flavours of raspberry and strawberry come off as refreshing as it whisks the heat and greasiness of the Chicken Wings away.

I also enjoy how the subtle smoky flavours of Beaujolais complement earthy and spicy flavours found in hot sauce. Finally, if you’re sharing a plate of Chicken Fingers, along with a variety of other finger foods such as Nacho Chips or French Fries, Beaujolais will offer plenty of refreshment against the salty and fatty nature of those foods as well.

Bruschetta & Beaujolais Villages

The light and playful nature of Beaujolais Villages complements the acidic and fruit tomatoes of your Bruschetta making for an excellent pairing. With Beaujolais you’ll also get a hint of smoke, spice and earth that complement any onion, garlic, or toasty bread flavours of Bruschetta.

If your Bruschetta is served as an appetizer, Beaujolais Villages makes even more sense as the low alcohol content of the wine won’t numb your senses for when you’re ready for the main course. With that said, if you’re at home eating Bruschetta as your main meal, Beaujolais Villages will make for a wonderful companion.

Tuna Fish Sandwiches & Beaujolais Villages

Beaujolais is the ultimate picnic wine as it’s light, fruity, low in alcohol, and playfully fun. Canned Tuna is often a food that is difficult to pair with as the tannin found in a lot of red wine makes canned Tuna taste tinny. Fortunately, Beaujolais is low in tannin, so it pairs up perfectly with a freshly made tuna fish sandwich. Furthermore, the acidity in Beaujolais Villages cuts through the creamy mayonnaise that coats your tongue and whisks those taste bud clogging fats away. This all makes for a frisky pairing for that sweet shaded spot hidden away from the summer sun.

And don’t worry, whichever sandwich you put in your picnic basket will almost certainly match well with Beaujolais, whether it’s Ham & Cheese, Egg-Salad, Sockeye Salmon, Chicken Salad, Turkey, or Roast Beef.

Quiche & Beaujolais Villages Pairing

You’ll normally find Quiche served as part of an ensemble meal, such as during a brunch or picnic, where it is paired with a variety of dishes depending on the theme. Bright, light, fruity and acidic, the food-friendly nature of Beaujolais Villages will ensure it is perfectly paired with a wide variety of foods served on these occasions, including Quiche.

The bright acidity of Beaujolais cuts through the rich and creamy texture of Quiche, along with the savoury crust, guaranteeing that each bite tastes fresh and clean. Meanwhile, the strawberry, raspberry and plum flavours of Beaujolais Villages provide plenty of refreshment with not only the Quiche but with many of the other dishes served at brunch or picnics that tend to be either salty, sweet or creamy.

What’s the Difference Between Beaujolais Villages and Beaujolais Nouveau?

The main difference between Beaujolais Villages and Beaujolais Nouveau in that Beaujolais Villages has more personality.  With its subtle flavours of bubblegum, smoke, violet and banana, Beaujolais Villages has much more character than Nouveau. Beaujolais Villages also needs to be drunk within two years, where Beaujolais Nouveau is meant to be drunk shortly after being bottled.

Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine released on the third Thursday in November to celebrate the first vintage of the year and is heavily marketed as a fun event. Pair Beaujolais Nouveau with pizza rolls, cold turkey sandwiches slathered with mayo, fun finger foods, and ham sandwiches.

What’s the Difference Between Beaujolais Villages and Beaujolais Cru?

Beaujolais Cru features even more deeper flavours than Beaujolais Villages, and some Beaujolais Cru will rival the quality of some of the finest Burgundies in terms of elegant fruit and earthy flavours. Given the slightly higher cost of Beaujolais Cru ($30-$70), expect to pay a higher price than Beaujolais Villages. In general, Beaujolais Cru is best paired with earthier dishes such as Brie Cheese, Rabbit in a mushroom sauce, turkey slathered in gravy, or a creamy mushroom risotto.

There are 10 Beaujolais Cru regions, and your wine store might not carry them all, or perhaps even any of them. This makes Beaujolais Villages much easier to obtain than a Beaujolais Cru. Beaujolais Cru is worth tracking down and trying as they often offer excellent quality for the price.

The 10 Beaujolais Cru Styles and Pairing Suggestions

Brouilly Beaujolais Cru and Food Pairings

Brouilly is largest Cru producer, which makes it the easiest Beaujolais Cru to find. Often light-bodied and elegant, expect flavours of plum and raspberry with a tangy acidic finish. Brouilly Beaujolais is often meant to be drank within 2 years and pairs up nice with Andouille Sausage, Charcuterie, Menchi-katsu, Turkey Dinner, Chicken Jambalaya, and Butabara Kushiyaki.

Chénas Beaujolais Cru

Chénas is the rarest of Beaujolais Cru due to its small production region. Very floral on the nose, with an emphasis on rose petals, Chénas is also earthy and age-worthy. Chénas pairs up wonderfully with basic chicken, veal and pork dishes, along with Sausage, eggplant dishes, chicken Kiev, kangaroo stew, veal marsala, and crocodile steak. My favourite pairing would be with homemade pizza topped with Sausage, mushrooms and chicken.

Chiroubles Beaujolais Cru & Food Pairing

One of the lighter-bodied Beaujolais Crus, Chiroubles features red fruit and floral notes on the nose, along with an herbaceous and mineral finish. Chiroubles is excellent with chicken wings, chicken tenders, ham sandwiches, Easter brunch, pork tenderloin, grilled pork chops, chicken fajitas, pho bo, veal chops, and quail stuffed with mushrooms.

Côte de Brouilly Beaujolais Cru

Côte de Brouilly is a medium-bodied Beaujolais Cru with earthy and forest floor notes along with bright red fruit. Côte de Brouilly is exceptional with corned beef, Easter ham, calzone, beef tartare, liver and onions, charcuterie, chicken jambalaya, haggis, Meatloaf, and Greek lamb gyros.

Fleurie

Fleurie has lots of violet, lilac, rose, and iris on the nose, which is fitting as fleur translates to flower. You still will find the trademark red fruit of strawberry and raspberry of Beaujolais with this elegant and feminine red wine along with a savoury, peppery finish. Often considered the lightest Beaujolais Cru, Fleurie is also nicknamed the Queen of the Crus. Take this nickname with a grain of salt, however, as some very powerful Fleurie Grand Crus also exist, particularly near the Moulin-à-Vent border. Pair Fleurie up with roasted pork tenderloin, chicken in a cream sauce, quiche, frogs legs, penne alla vodka, veal scaloppini, black pudding, Andouillette sausage, and mushroom pasta.

Juliénas Beaujolais Cru

Named after Julius Caesar, Juliénas sits in the middle spectrum of Beaujolais Cru in that it’s neither bold or incredibly light. With lilac and violet on the nose, you’ll also find tart raspberry and black plum flavours, along with a hint of spice and dark chocolate in the body. Juliénas is not a good match with Caesar Salad, however, it pairs up nicely with chili, beer can chicken, butter chicken, baked ham, pork tenderloin, bibimbap, quail, pork chops with a fruity sauce, and Miso soup.

Moulin-à-Vent Beaujolais Cru

Moulin-à-Vent is nicknamed the king of Beaujolais Cru as it is the boldest Beaujolais available. Fruity with raspberry, boysenberry, blackberry and plum, Moulin-à-Vent can be aged for decades due to its tannin. When young, the fruit flavours of Moulin-à-Vent shine through with brilliance. When aged for a decade or more, expect some earthy, musky, mushroom and gamey, meaty flavours that will compete with some of the finest Burgundy on the market.

Moulin-à-Vent is delicious with Beef Burgundy, Pork Tenderloin, Philadelphia Cheesesteak, Pepperoni Pizza, Osso Buco, General Tso’s Chicken, Shepherd’s Pie, Cabbage Rolls, and Chicken Fried Steak.

Morgon Beaujolais Cru

Morgon is a bolder Beaujolais Crus and can be aged over 30 years to draw out even bolder and earthier flavours. , When young Morgan is juicy with vibrant cherry flavours. When aged between 5 to 10 years, the wine starts to develop earthy flavours of truffle, smoke and meat. As Morgan is a bolder red wine, it appeals to North American tastes making it the most imported Beaujolais Cru. The Morgan region is also the second-largest of the Crus, which also helps make it easier to find.

Pair Morgon Beaujolais Cru with Corned Beef and Cabbage, Chicken Teriyaki, Duck a L’Orange, Cottage Pie, Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Adobo, Swedish Meatballs, and Flank Steak with Shallots.

Régnié Beaujolais Cru

Régnié is a lighter-bodied, with notes of red fruit, plum, a hint of spice and bright acidity. Régnié is the newest cru and a single ‘classic’ style has yet to emerge as winemakers continue to experiment and innovate. Régnié pairs great with Southern Fried Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie, Baked Brie, Chicken Tikka Masala, Butternut Squash Soup, Seafood Linguini, Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Chicken Wings.

Saint-Amour Beaujolais Cru

St. Amour has two popular styles. The first style is a light and elegant red wine tasting of cooked strawberries and cassis along with some smoke, pepper, and coca on the nose. This style of Saint-Amour can be aged for at least four years. The second style of St. Amour is light, fruity and features floral aromas of peony and peppery spice. This style is best consumed within a year.

Whatever style you choose, St. Amour Beaujolais is perfect for a romantic picnic getaway with some Turkey, Tuna or Egg Salad Sandwiches, along with Brie and Camembert cheese or even Potato Salad. If it’s Valentine’s day and you want a quiet night in, order in some sushi or perhaps some milder Indian Currie to share for a romantic night in.