Beaujolais Calling

A late morning start, led a return to the winery, for everyone to enjoy the stunning views in daylight before they picked their way through Southern Burgundy and deep into Beaujolais country. A cavalcade of old buildings, vineyards and castles led competitors to a hidden lunch stop underneath the granite hills that make the region famous. The Gamay grape is the only grape that will grow with any degree of success over this quartz, feldspar and mica mix.

The ‘Runs Beaujolais partner Henry Fessy had lain on a veritable banquet with its wines on offer to those in charge of the maps or sat nav. Lunch was followed by a visit to their caves amongst the vines to taste all the various wines form the cru villages in the region. Special legal dispensation had been granted for the ‘Runners to taste the Nouveau before midnight. That meant they could judge it, before the general public got to taste it on the stroke of midnight.