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Number of sustained heat waves on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) so far this summer. Spain is the driest it has been in the last 1,200 yearsaccording to the journal Nature Geoscience. In many parts of both countries, the heat and drought caused the grape harvest to begin in August (it usually begins in September). And once-rare night harvesting (when the temperature is cooler) is now increasingly common.

Cru Beaujolais are:

A. Basic level wines in the official Beaujolais classification system

B. Beaujolais wines that are aged at least four years before release

C. Wines from ten specific villages in the Beaujolais region

D. The term for a Beaujolais from a single vineyard

From north to south, there are ten villages—crus—that produce the most distinctive Beaujolais. The labels on bottles of Beaujolais cru will usually name the producer and the cru only. The word Beaujolais will not appear. The cru are:

Saint-Amour: One of the smallest of the crus.

Juliénas: Named after Julius Caesar.

Chénas: The smallest Beaujolais cru.

Moulin-à-Vent: The name means windmill, in honor of a three-hundred-year-old stone one that rises above the vines.

Fleurie: Among the most delicate and understated of the Beaujolais crus.

Chiroubles: The highest altitude vineyards in Beaujolais.

Morgon: Generally, the richest, darkest colored, and most full-bodied in Beaujolais.

Régnié: The last cru established (in 1988).

Brouilly: The largest cru and full of granite.

Côte de Brouilly: Located on the slopes of Mont Brouilly, an extinct volcano.

But Did JFK Know?

So, last week we asked what well-known woman was named an honorary Artichoke Queen? (I know, it’s a little left field…). Anyway, our favorite answer was Monica Lewinsky. But the right answer was Marilyn Monroe.… Continue reading

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