For years, wine snobs have dismissed Beaujolais as pedestrian plonk, fun and fruity wines with neither pedigree nor sophistication. Foreign tourists largely have bypassed the region, either staying in Paris or flocking to Provence, the country's new theme park ever since expat British author Peter Mayle interpreted it in English.
Yet for those pokers and wanderers willing to fold themselves into a stick-shift Peugeot and cruise in second gear, the Pays Beaujolais serves up a degustation of delights for eyes, ears, nose, and throat that can be sampled in a day trip or spread over a week.
For those who want an immediate immersion in the French countryside, there's no place easier to reach. Take an evening Air France flight from Logan to Paris, step on the TGV at Charles de Gaulle Airport in the morning, and be at the Lyon Part-Dieu station in two hours. Just outside is a row of rental-car agencies whose English-speaking employees need only a credit card and a US license.
Drive a few minutes to the Rhone, cross the bridge leading to the Fourviere Tunnel beneath the old city, and you're on A6, the toll road for Macon and Paris. Take the exit for Belleville and you're at the gateway to Beaujolais in plenty of time for lunch.
To get a sense of the area, it's a good idea to stop at La Maison des Beaujolais in Saint-Jean-d'Ardieres, which offers information and tastings (with lamb and sausage) of the 12 established "crs," from the stately Moulin Vent to the rare Chenas.
If you want to see Beaujolais in festival, the best times are spring, when villages offer tastings; October, just after the harvest; or November, when Beaujeu has its Fte des Sarmentelles, where the torches are made from vine prunings and the first barrel of Beaujolais Nouveau is opened at midnight. Virtually all the cellars offer samples year round, however, and are pleased to sell a bottle or a case.
