You often won’t find the words “Beaujolais cru” on a bottle of Beaujolais cru. Instead, they’re named after the villages, such as Moulin-à-Vent.
If you haven’t every tried a Beaujolais Cru (and I’m not talking Beaujolais Nouveau!), what are you waiting for? This wine goes with EVERYTHING! And really good bottles can be had around $20 or so, which is mighty fine weekend drinking.
Why they’re great: With their vivacious cherry-berry notes, they have a bit of that acidic Chianti thing going on. The best are shimmery, spicy, earthy, and just fruity enough; that is, though some fruit-forward-loving wine-drinkers might think them best with food, those of you who, like me, enjoy a little refreshment in their red they make fine stand-alone sippers, too.
What to look for: Skip Beaujolais Nouveau. You need a bottle that’s “not nouveau,” so look for the name of the village where the grapes are grown: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Moulin–à-Vent, Régnié, or Saint-Amour.
To read more: Eric Asimov of the New York Times extolls the virtues of Beaujolais; he also gives some good wine recommendations for the ’09 vintage, which is still out there.
