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On 8th October 2006 the village of Odenas (69 Rhône,Rhône-Alpes - see map) celebrates a concoction called “Paradis” a sweet blend of 50% grape juice and 50% unfinished nouveau wine made from the local Beaujolais grape - Gamay.
Centred around old traditions of horse-drawn wagons and old wine presses in the middle of the Brouilly vineyards, the festivities start at midday and last into the night, accompanied by music and dancing.
I have enough trouble appreciating Beaujolais Nouveau which is often such a disappointment, so this brew sounds quite bizarre - but who knows in the right atmosphere with jovial French company it could be fun.
Brouilly is to my mind one of the better Beaujolais appellations - as it is a “cru” recognised as a specific area which produces wines of character and quality. The basic wine is just “Beaujolais AC” which can come from anywhere within the region; Beaujolais-Villages AC is a higher quality from any of the named villages, whilst the likes of Brouilly, Moulin à Vent, Fleurie, Morgon, Regnié are restricted to specific village areas. Brouilly is distinctive for its hill - Mont Brouilly, and there is a separate appellation for Côte de Brouilly AC for those wines made from vines grown higher up the slopes of the “mountain” - and these tend to have rather more mineral character and depth than the usually juicy Brouilly.

Recommended producers - Paul Beaudet a respected negociant who stocks a great range of Beaujolais wines in their winery at Pontanevaux (71 Saone et Loire, Bourgogne - see map) including Domaine de Chardignon Côte de Brouilly AC. Paul Beaudet wines are available in the UK from Stevens Garnier, who have a shop in Oxford also from - e.g. Beaujolais-Villages 2005 Chateau de Maladrets (just £4.79)