Beaujolais Food Pairing
Updated November 14th 2023
Beaujolais food pairing is exciting! This light, young and fruity red wine from France, pairs very well with a wide range of foods such as white meat, fish, cheese, snacks and even desserts. This guide will help you to find the best food for your bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau.
You can drink this French wine with many different types of foods, but keep in mind that there are different types of Beaujolais wines. The most popular one is Beaujolais Nouveau. This fruity light-bodied red wine is released annually on the third Thursday of November and has become extremely popular all over the world. Keep reading to learn more about Beaujolais food pairing and the wine itself.
About Beaujolais wine
Beaujolais wine is made of Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region, north of Lyon in France. It is known for being a fruity light-bodied wine with good acidity. Many people consider Beaujolais the best wine made from Gamay and it is a good alternative to Pinot Noir. 
There are different types of Beaujolais styles:
- Beaujolais Cru
- Beujolais Villages
- Beaujolais Blanc
- Beaujolais Rosé
- Beaujolais Nouveau
Cru is the highest category of classification and it is considered to be the best Beaujolais wine. The Cru style is recommended to be consumed within three years of its vintage. A Beaujolais Cru is more complex and rich that the other beaujolais wines. It is more similar to red Bourgogne wines.
Tips! If you are drinking a bottle of Beaujolais Cru, we recommend you to read our Pinot Noir Food pairing guide since the styles are quite similar.
The white and rosé styles are produced in very small quantities. Beaujolais Nouveau is the most popular wine style from the region. It is fermented for only a few weeks, which gives the wine its characteristic light and fruity style. "The Beaujolais Nouveau Day" is surrounded by lots of marketing and events to celebrate the arrival of this young wine. The wine is celebrated in November with a Beaujolais Nouveau party, but it is possible to buy and drink it all year round.
What does Beaujolais wine taste like?
Beaujolais wines are usually very fruity with red fruit aromas like strawberry, cherry, rasberry and cranberry. It is also not uncommon to find some notes of violet, banana, candy or bubblegum in the wine. Beaujolais Cru often has earthy aromas of mushroom. 
Beaujolais food pairing
When pairing food with your bottle of Beaujolais, you need to consider the characteristics of the wine. The reccommended food for this Gamay wine is slightly different from Pinot Noir food pairings, even if they are both light-bodied red wines. Beaujolais Nouveau is a very young and light red wine made from Gamay grapes. It is a bright, fruity and refreshing wine with good acidity and low tannins, which makes it a great match for different types of foods and occasions.
When paring Beaujolais Nouveau with food, you need to consider the following characteristics the wine:
- Very light body & low tannins - pair it equally light dishes, such as turkey or chicken.
- Moderate to high acidity - you can pair it with dishes with moderate or high fat content (try it with a fatty fish like salmon!)
- Delicate aromas of red berries - pair it with food with equally delicate aromas. A heavy dish will overpower this young and light wine.
A bottle of Beaujolais is best served slightly chilled at 12-15°C / 37-59°F.
Beaujolais with Poultry
Beaujolais' fruitiness matches well with sweet and savory flavours, but especially with white meats like chicken and turkey. Beaujolais Nouveau is also known as the perfect Thanksgiving wine. Not only because of the release date just a few days before the holidays, but also because of its delicate aromas of berries matches well with most things on the Thanksgiving table.
Beaujolais with Fatty Fish
The wine also pairs well with fatty fish, like salmon and tuna, especially the Beaujolais Cru style. With its high acidity, this wine can also balance creamy pasta dishes and risottos with fish or shellfish.
Beaujolais with Cheese
Beaujolais matches well with soft and semi-soft cheeses. Comté, Brie, Swiss Cheese, Camembert and Feta are some of the cheeses which go well with Beaujolais Nouveau.
Beaujolais with Snacks & Buffet
Beaujolais Nouveau is released as a celebration and it really is a great wine for festivities. It pairs well with typical finger foods and charcuterie, cheese and salty crackers.
Tips! Beaujolais pairs well with both meat and fish which makes it an excellent wine choice for buffets and mingle.
Beaujolais with Desserts
Since Beaujolais Nouveau has very low tannins and a lot of fruitiness, you can even drink it together with some desserts. It pairs well with nutty and semi-sweet desserts, such as pecan pie and almond cakes. You can also drink the wine together with desserts with the same flavour profile. Try to pair Beaujolais with desserts with fresh rasberries or strawberries. 
Enjoy your food with your Beaujolais!
