Hospices de Beau.........!

When you say Beaujolais to the average North American wine drinker,
the "cheap and cheerful" image of the Beaujolais nouveau comes to mind.
Vins nouveaux literally "new wines" are the first release of a vintage made with the Gamay grape or more precisely the Gamay noir jus blanc.
While Beaujolais nouveau may be the most celebrated wine of the Beaujolais region, wines offering considerable drinking pleasure can come from the 39 villages producing wine classified as Beaujolais Villages. The Mommessin Beaujolais pictured here (click on image) is made from old vines and is true to the character of this appellation.
The wines of the 10 Beaujolais Cru are wines of great distinction and are worthy of aging. The Gamays from the Beaujolais Cru all express the soil in which they are planted and display a diversity of terroirs.
While the next, world famous Hospices de Beaune wine auction will be on Sunday 18th November 2007 it is not the oldest. It is a mere 146 years old. The distinction of being the worlds oldest wine auction belongs to Hospices de Beaujeu.
This year on May 13th, the Hospices de Beaujeu will be holding its 210th auction in
Beaujeu, the historic capital
of the Beaujolais region.
The auction has been a continuous event since 1797. It is an opportunity for the public to discover the Beaujolais crus and to taste these cuvées untouched. Each one offers
distinct and interesting characteristics. Once the sale is over, the various cuvees will be blended to make up the Hospices de Beaujeu range of wines with its unique label, ready for world wide distribution.
"Beaujolais is nature with its fragrances, its light, its infinity, evening rest and morning enthusiasm." Jules Chauvet (1905-1989)