Appellation
Beaujolais-Villages
Identity card
RegionalAOPRedWhiteRosé
Beaujolais · Recognised on 12 September 1937
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- 38 communes in the north of the area: 30 in the Rhône, 8 in Saône-et-Loire.
- Reds and rosés: at most 58 hl/ha and at least 10.5% natural alcohol.
- Primeur: at most half the volume allowed for "Villages".
Grape varieties
RedRosé
Accessory varieties: Aligoté, Chardonnay, Gamay de Bouze, Gamay de Chaudenay, Melon de Bourgogne, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir
Gamay de Bouze, Gamay de Chaudenay · 10% at most of the holding's vines
Aligoté, Chardonnay, Melon de Bourgogne, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir · 15% at most of the vines in each plot
Aligoté, Chardonnay, Melon and the Pinots: only interplanted among the vines
Gamay de Bouze and Gamay de Chaudenay: at most 10% of the blend too
Production rules
58
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
5,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: Reds, primeur aside: at least until 1 January after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 129 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 14 % ABV across 79 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 136 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Soils: Acid soils of the northern half: ancient granite and schist
- Soils: Or Quaternary spreads weathered from those rocks
- Climate: Sheltered from westerly winds by the Monts du Beaujolais
Wine style
- Red
- deeper colour
- clean nose
- powerful, structured
- can keep for several years
- Rosé
- tangy red fruit
- full and crunchy
- refreshing
- White
- golden colour
- floral
- full and balanced
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
5 August 2026
Arrêté du 5 août 2026 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Beaujolais » (JORF n°0188 du 13 août 2026, texte n°11 ; BO Agri du 20 août 2026), qui régit aussi bien l'AOC de base que sa mention « Villages » définie ici et remplace celui du 2 septembre 2022. Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 12 septembre 1937.
Labelling terms
- "Primeur" or "nouveau": reds and rosés, vintage compulsory
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Beaujolais » (BO du 20 août 2026)— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
- Official sourceCahier des charges des appellations d'origine contrôlées « Beaujolais » et « Beaujolais » suivie de la mention « Villages »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Trade bodySite officiel des vins du Beaujolais (Inter Beaujolais)— Inter Beaujolais — interprofession des vins du Beaujolais
The AOC "Beaujolais" followed by the "Villages" mention, restricted to 38 communes in the northern half of the area — 30 in the Rhône, 8 in Saône-et-Loire —, on acid soils from granite, porphyry and schist. The same cahier des charges as the base AOC sets higher ripeness thresholds and tighter yields here, an intermediate step between generic Beaujolais and the ten crus.
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