Brouilly Wine Region Guide

Located in the southernmost of Beaujolais crus in France, Brouilly is an appellation for red wines. It is the largest wine subregion of Beaujolais, and its exact location is west of Belleville Sur Saone, south of Morgon and Moulin à Vent. The lower slopes of Mont Brouilly and the surrounding villages include considerable vineyards of the Gamay grape variety. Brouilly wines are so famous because of their fruit-driven and fresh taste.

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History of Brouilly Wine Appellation

The Romans were the first to plant vineyards in Brouilly. Already in 59 BC, archaeological discoveries test the hatching of wine growing. In the middle ages, Benedictine monks had a vital part in the viticulture development of this area.

The name of the wine appellation comes from the nearest mountain, which took its name from a famous Roman lieutenant stationed in the area some 2000 years ago. 

As well as being the largest Cru, it was also one of the earliest areas authorized to sell its wines to the Parisian market as far back as 1769, making Brouilly one of the most known sites in Beaujolais.

In 1938 the Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly Protected Designations of Origin were born: their vintages were recognized, the sales and tasting cellars multiplied, national fame grew at the same time as international influence increased.

Rocky Terroir of Brouilly wine region

The vineyard area of Brouilly wine region surrounds the mountain, and covers land in these six communes: Cercié, Charentay, Odenas, Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne, Quincié-en-Beaujolais, and Saint-Lager. This wine district area is labelled as a geo-site, which is part of the “UNESCO Global Geopark” network. As a result, there is a panoramic viewpoint on the top of mountain Brouilly as a showcase of the region’s diverse terroir.

The terroir is uniquely homogeneous for the Brouilly wine region. It consists of granite, schist, and rocks. Grapes draw their strength from a rich terroir of volcanic rocks and the famous “Brouilly blue stone”. This absurd name comes from the blueish dazzles generated by the stone as it weathers away. 

The wine growing conditions on steep slopes are sometimes harsh. Therefore, the producers make every effort to ensure that the flavour of the grapes comes out in the bottles to produce incredible Crus whose qualities are gradually exposed over the years.

Brouilly wine region enjoys a perfect environment allowing the grapes to flourish and a harvest of intense fruit. With its extreme garnet red, this appellation is the star of the Beaujolais wine region, delivering wine lovers an enhanced wine from the volcanic terroir.

Grape varieties of Brouilly wine region

Brouilly is an appellation for red wines, so the most widely planted grape variety is a purple-coloured Gamay grape. This grape is most famous for making the light, fruit-driven Brouilly red wine. While it delivers fresh, red-fruit, and candied aromas, it typically produces little flavour concentration and body weight.

Brouilly wines, with their extreme red colour, offer a complex palette: aromas of red fruits like fresh plums, combined with floral, peppery, and mineral notes. The palate is vibrant and structured because the blue stones and sunshine give the wines a powerful, mineral, and spicy character. After ageing, Brouilly wines become more full-bodied and rounder.

While the appellation's rules apply only to red wines, the white grape varieties of Chardonnay, Aligoté, and Melon de Bourgogne can consist up to 15 percent of the vineyard area. These white grape varieties can be a minor part of the blend in Brouilly AOC wines.

Food to Pair with Brouilly Wine

1. Baeckeoffe

Baeckeoffe is a French dish containing vegetables, potatoes, wine, and three types of marinated meat – pork, beef, and lamb. The name of this food comes from the baker's oven, as French women would leave the pots for the baker in the morning.

They left to do the daily work, and when they would return home, they would pick up the pot from the open baker. Another idea about the creation of the dish is that it was made on Saturday night and left in the bakers' oven overnight to cool down.

Baeckeoffe is often served with some bread on the side, and it is recommended to pair with Brouilly red wine.

2. Steak tartare

If you are a meat lover, this dish is the perfect one for the Brouilly wine pairing. Steak tartare is made with sliced raw beef that is seasoned with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and mustard. The meat is combined with raw egg yolk, capers, onions, parsley, and chopped gherkins.

Steak tartare is usually accompanied by toasted bread, rye bread, or french fries. It is believed that steak tartare was originally an interpretation of beefsteak à l'Américaine, a dish of raw chopped beefsteak that became famous in France at the end of the 20th century.

At first, steak tartare was served with tartar sauce. However, now you can find the dish without any sauce. While tasting the dish, don't forget to drink some Brouilly wine.

3. Jambon d'Ardenne

Belgium’s Jambon d’Ardenne takes its name from the forested plateau situated in the south and southeast of Wallonia. For the ideal Jambon d'Ardenne each ham is first dry-salted and then dipped into the brine to soak in the flavors of a traditional mix of spices such as thyme, laurel, juniper berries, and cloves. 

After the salting, the hams are smoked over oak sawdust, which gives this meat its characteristics. Enjoyed throughout Belgium, France, and other European countries, this ham is sliced in several cuts: Jambon d'Ardenne refers to a whole bone-in ham; a highly prized boneless center-cut is called Fleur or Coeur d'Ardenne, and there's also other smallest muscle cut.

Ardennes ham is typically served with raw vegetables and fruits, but it is also great to accompany a glass of red wine.

Places to Visit in Brouilly

1. Notre-Dame Aux-Raisins

The slopes of Brouilly are where the fruity, aromatic Brouilly wine is produced. From the esplanade, the scenery unfolds over the vineyards, Beaujolais hillsides, and the Saône and Dombes plain. At the top, Notre-Dameaux-Raisins chapel (1857) built to protect the vineyards, remains a place of pilgrimage. It was built to protect the vineyard after the hail, frost, and powdery mildew that ravaged it between 1850 and 1852.

2. Géoscope on Mont Brouilly

To understand the Brouilly soils better, you should visit the Géoscope on Mont Brouilly. This is an educational site that shows all the rocks found in the region, explains how they were formed, and offers an excellent view of the vineyard. 

Nowadays, Mont Brouilly is at the centre of several initiatives for the preservation of the environment, the enhancement of the landscape and origin; and the tourist expansion of the territory since it is listed as a “Sensitive natural area of ​​the Rhône Department” and as a “geological site” of major Geopark Beaujolais.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Brouilly wine region