Le Beaujolais Nouveau

Le Beaujolais Nouveau

Many of France's most accessible and friendly wines hail from the 40-km (25-mi) north-south stretch of land known as the "Vignobles de Beaujolais" found about 30 km (20 mi) north of Lyon.

Beaujolais wine is made exclusively from the gamay noir à jus blanc grape.

The region's 10 best wines -- Brouilly, Côte-de-Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Julienas, Morgon, St-Amour, Moulin-à-Vent, and Régine -- are all labeled "Grands Crus," a more complex version of the otherwise light, fruity Beaujolais.

Although the region's wines get better with age, many Beaujolais wines are drunk nearly fresh off the vine; every third Thursday in November marks the arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau, a bacchanalian festival that also showcases regional cuisine.