Discover Beaujolais
The fresh, joyful red that France celebrates every November.
Beaujolais is one of France's friendliest wines — light, fruity and made to be shared. Here's a little of the story behind it, and why we love pouring it at The Waggon & Horses.
What is Beaujolais?
eaujolais lies just south of Burgundy in eastern France, a stretch of rolling granite hills where nearly every vine is the Gamay grape. Where Burgundy is about ceremony, Beaujolais is about conviviality — wines made for the table, not the cellar.
The region runs from the flat southern vineyards that produce classic Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages, up to ten celebrated crus such as Fleurie, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent — each with its own character, from floral and fragrant to deep and structured.
The Gamay Grape
Gamay makes wines that are bright ruby in colour, low in tannin and bursting with freshly picked red fruit — cherry, raspberry, redcurrant — often with a characteristic hint of banana or pear drop from the fermentation style.
It's a grape that never takes itself too seriously. Best served slightly cool, around 13°C, it's the rare red that suits a sunny afternoon in the garden just as much as a winter fireside.
What is Beaujolais Nouveau?
Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine of each harvest, bottled barely weeks after the grapes were picked and released on the third Thursday of November — Beaujolais Nouveau Day — in a race of celebration across the world.
Made by carbonic maceration, it's fermenting-fresh, exuberant and utterly joyful: the taste of the vintage before the year is even over. We celebrate its arrival every November with our own French feast — see our Beaujolais Nouveau Day page for this year's menu.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2026What to Pair It With
Beaujolais is famously food-friendly. Its soft fruit and gentle acidity cut through rich sauces — which is why it's the classic partner to coq au vin and beef bourguignon, both cooked in the wine itself.
It also loves a charcuterie board, pâté, roast chicken, moules marinière and a proper fromage plate. In short: the kind of honest, generous food we serve every day.
Browse our menu
Come and Taste It
Fancy a glass? Ask at the bar — our wine list changes with the seasons, and if there's a Beaujolais on it, we'll gladly tell you all about it. And every November, join us for Beaujolais Nouveau Day, our annual celebration of the first wine of the harvest.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2026Thursday 19 November 2026 — walk-ins only, no need to book.