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Beaujolais announces “positive” vintage

Published:  01 October, 2020

Inter Beaujolais has declared the 2020 vintage “positive”, with the region described as going from “strength to strength”. 

The wine council said that while the quantity of the 2020 harvest was low compared to the average in recent years, “as for quality, there is no lack of it”, offering “nice balance and lovely freshness”.

“We’re really pleased with this year’s vintage,” said Cécile Bossan-Redon, MD at Inter Beaujolais. “Although we’ve obviously had extra challenges this year, Beaujolais has been fortunate to be able to report an increase in sales to the UK, a positive vintage and overall a feeling of positivity for the future.”

The harvest had given Beaujolais growers a chance to “show off their know-how by composing with nature – a perfect combo", with the first juices tasted "crisp and easy-to-drink and marked by lovely freshness and ripeness”, she said.

Dominique Piron, president of Inter Beaujolais, added: “So far, we seem to be headed towards a great vintage in Beaujolais. Once again, the Gamay grape variety has shown its ability to adapt to climate variations. That’s reassuring and it will be a positive point in the future, and in this global economy in turmoil, now dominated by uncertainty, we’ll do everything we can to ensure that Beaujolais wines continue their climb. The figures for the past two years confirm that we’re on the right track.” 

The harvest report comes ahead of the annual Beaujolais tasting, which will take place 6 October at Lumiere London Underwood. In order to ensure a safe and socially distanced tasting, visitors will need to sign up online to a dedicated time slot here.

The tasting will give attendees the opportunity to taste a diverse range of Beaujolais wines from the latest vintages of its 12 appellations. There will also be two masterclasses: one focused on Beaujolais soil diversity and the other on the new generation of winemakers in the region. 

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming people to our trade tasting in October, which has been organised to enable visitors to enjoy the wines in a safe environment in line with today’s current social distancing guidelines,” said Bossan-Redon, who was appointed MD in December last year taking over from Jean Bourjade.  

The tasting follows a positive year of growth in the UK for Beaujolais wines, with figures released last month revealing that in May 2020, exports were up 120% in volume and 102% in value compared to the previous year (Source: Douanes françaises, BusinessFrance / Département Agrotec).

The UK imported 16,118hl of Beaujolais in the first five months of 2020, overtaking the US as the number one export market for the region.



 

 

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