In July 1395, the Gamay grape was forbidden to be used in Burgundy. However, Beaujolais, it’s southern neighbor, decided it should use Gamay and make its wines from this grape. And so started a differentiation that continues to this day, where 98% of the region is planted with Gamay, with the other 2% being Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
   The Beaujolais region is made up of 55,000 acres, more than the three other regions of Burgundy combined. Beaujolais itself is split in two by the Nizerand River. North is Haut-Beaujolais with light soil which produces the Beaujolais-Villages wines and all ten Crus. South of the river are the Bas-Beaujolais.
   All along the wine route there are undulating vineyards, tiny villages made of honey-colored stone houses, a Romanesque church and its cloister, a chateau and its gardens… and at every turning, the call of a wine cellar and the inimitable bouquet of a Beaujolais wine.
   Stretching from the North of Lyon to the Southern Burgundy, Beaujolais wine is unique and richly diverse. World famous for its crus such as Chiroubles, Brouilly, Saint Amour, Moulin à Vent, Beaujolais wine is also well-known for its smooth, fruity and young wine, the Beaujolais Nouveau.
   Beaujolais Nouveau is the first output from each harvest, ready exactly on the third Thursday of November each year. It's a celebration across the world, as people gather to taste the first Beaujolais of the new season.
   Legend has it that the wine was something of a cult wine in the French bistros, bars, and cafes surrounding Beaujolais and Lyons, produced by the local growers and delivered in barrels. In the 1960s, Nouveau was bottled and marketed outside of France for the first time.
   Beaujolais owes much of its fame to Georges Duboeuf, who has promoted it far and wide. He controls 10% of Beaujolais production.
   The largest Beaujolais bottler by far, he has been called "the prince of Beaujolais" and "the Beaujolais king." He is a négociant who produces more than 25 million cases of wine annually and is almost single-handedly responsible for the annual Beaujolais Nouveau phenomenon