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It began in 1972 when a journalist challenged Fleet Street to “Bring Back the Beaujolais” to London copying the similar “race” to get the first bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau wine to Paris. In those days the new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau could not by law be allowed to leave the producers’ cellars near Macon until midnight on the first Thursay in November. Hence numerous serious (and not so serious) attempts were made by car, train, plane etc to get the first bottles to London but the RAF rather spoiled the party by using a Harrier Jump-Jet and broke all records!

Of course, in the meantime, the popularity of Beaujolais Nouveau has plummeted, so much so that it can be difficult to find in the UK, and many wine merchants do not bother to import it. Our tastes have changed in the last 36 years and we now have such a wide range of more interesting and better value wines to choose from. The tragedy is that much in the way that Liebfraumilch tarnished the image of much better German wines, so Nouveau led consumers to avoid proper Beaujolais, which whilst still a ligher fruitier style than say Syrah, can nevertheless offer some classy drinking and some wines of depth and complexity.

However, there is still a celebration of Nouveau and its Anglo-French tradition with a charity event using classic British cars, and focussed more on fundraising and the shortest distance rather than speed. The only drawback of this approach is that many classic sports cars have precious little boot space for those cases of wine!

In 2006, by kind permission by Lord March, The Beaujolais Run® made its spiritual home at Goodwood. In the same year, the event became a five day event showcasing the best the UK and France has to offer. Hackett is synonymous with this as overall event sponsor.

For 2008 The Beaujolais Run® hits London and Paris. Starting by kind permission of Sir Terence Conran from Bibendum in Kensington. The ‘Run then halts in Paris for a reception at the British Embassy before the following day sees the navigational shoot out at the heart of the event en route to Macon. A black tie prize giving dinner awaits competitors in Paris on the return leg, before returning to London to light up the King Road to celebrate the return of the new harvest.

The Beaujolais Run ® has evolved to become a navigational shoot out over a cryptic checkpoint course in deepest Burgundy. This format ensures Austin and Aston, Jaguar and Jalpa and Porsche and Prius can compete on a level playing field. Maps, Sat Nav and Laptops are all acceptable modes of navigation on the event. Teams compete for the honour of achieving P1 on the grid the following year (highest fundraising team) and P2, the team that covers the shortest distance on the navigational trial.

For more info on The Beaujolais Run ® see www.beaujolaisrun.com

For 2008 Beaujolais Nouveau day is Thursday 21 November 2008. A reliable supplier of decent Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau is Nick Dobson Wines

The Telegraph (19 Aug 08) includes a boat trip up the Rhone Valley as one of its top 10 river cruises:

Navigating France’s mightiest river is a favourite for wine aficionados and foodies. A cruise through Burgundy and Provence gives you the chance to visit vineyards (think Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape), explore Lyon – the gourmet capital of France – and enjoy historic towns such as the fortified city of Avignon and the Roman ruins in Arles. The countryside is equally superb: its fields of lavender and sunflowers were an inspiration for artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, and as the river drains into the Mediterranean you’ll see the famous white horses of the Camargue.

The route includes many worthwhile stops for visits to suit all tastes, but it is also remarkably rich in potential wine visits as you’ll pass through appellations such as Costieres de Nimes, Cotes du Rhone (north and south), Lirac, Tavel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, St Joseph and Hermitage - and if you branch onto the River Saone north of Lyon you can explore Beuajolais and southern Burgundy!

It should come as little surprise that rivers and canals tend to offer good access to good vineyards - vines often grow best on the steep valley sides with their good drainage and aspect to the sun.

A more modest trip than the Rhone, could be a canal trip from Auxerre (89 Yonne, Burgundy) close to Chablis and down the Canal de Bourgogne to Dijon and the Burgundy vineyards; or a trip down the Canal Lateral de la Loire for Sancerre AC, Pouilly-Fumé and Coteaux Giennois. By using the Canal du Nivernais and the Canal de Briare you could even manage a circular route via Auxerre.

Of course, Rick Stein’s French Odyssey was based on a canal trip along the Canal du Midi and the Canal Lateral de la Garonne and included the vineyards of Bordeaux, Cotes du Marmandais, Buzet, Fronton, Minervois, Corbieres and the Coteaux du Languedoc.

For another set of options try Hilary Wright’s book Water into Wine: A Wine Lover’s Journey Through The Waterways of France which also includes itineraries in the lower Loire. Cognac, Alsace, Lorraiine and the Lot.

For more info on the canals of France see the website for VNF (Voies Navigable de la France) now much improved and in English!

The wines of the Jura are seldom seen and little known in the UK. These wines can be quite distinctive and in addition to familiar grape varietals such as Chardonnay they also use local grapes such as Savignin ( a cousin of Alsace Gewurztraminer), and Poulsard, a distant relative of Pinot Noir.

Jura Wine is a specialist independent wine merchant in Birmingham who specialises in the wines of the Jura - and specifically the wines of Domaine Tissot.

Jurawine collects the wines in person from our supplier, Domaine Tissot and arranges courier delivery to you throughout the UK.
Jura is part of the region known as Franche Comte and lies in eastern central France between Burgundy & Switzerland. This beautiful area has fine gastronomic traditions, including unusual wine festivals

Specialities of the region include “Vin de Paille” (straw wine), where the grapes are laid out on straw mats to shrivel and concentrate the juices producing delicious, long-lasting sweet wines; and Vin Jaune (yellow wine) which is made from Savignin grapes in a manner similar to Sherry!
Jura Wine - , 1 Augusta Rd, Acocks Green, BIRMINGHAM, B27 6LA
E-Mail: jurae@jurawine.com Tel: 0121 243 4042 Mbl: 07850 845518 Fax: 07092 888372

Another merchant who specialises in Jura & neighbouring Arbois wines (and others including Gaillac and Languedoc) is Devigne Wines (and Confit Direct) in Edinburgh (Tel: 0131 664 9058
Fax: 05600 756287, info@devignewines.co.uk)

A good starting point for getting to know the region and its wines could be John & Carolyn Scallan at their B&B at Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone et Loire, Bourgogne)

See our customised, searchable map of the region

For more info on the wines of the Jura see the official Wines of the Jura site

Chablis (89 Yonne, Burgundy) to Autun (71 Saone et Loire, Bourgogne)

For more on the tour see http://www.frenchduck.com

For Chablis see here

John & Carolyn Scallon offer comfortable Bed & Breakfast (Chambre d’Hote) accommodation in Burgundy either for stop-overs en route south or for short or longer stays. At Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire, Bourgogne).
This would be an opportunity to explore some of the lesser known parts of Burgundy with the additional bonus of experienced advice from your English hosts who can help you plan your itinerary to get the best from your day - and recommend vineyards and restaurants.

Just 90 minutes from Geneva or Lyon airports this area abounds with small villages, individual cuisine and lots and lots of really fine wines.

“We’re biased. We live in a small village in the extreme east of Burgundy, right on the border with the Jura Department and we love it here” say John & Carolyn Scallon at www.bandb-burgundy.com who offer excellent accommodation (4 individually decorated bedrooms with en-suite facilities) in the heart of south Burgundy at Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire, Burgundy) east of Chalon-sur-Saone (see map)
For more info and for suggestions on visiting the vineyards of Burgundy see www.frenchduck.co.uk

Vin Jaune (yellow wine) is a speciality of the Jura (eastern France between Burgundy and Switzerland) which is made exclusively from the Savignin grape - late harvested and then pressed and subjected to a slow fermentation followed by a slow ageing process in small 228litre casks. The process yields a thin layer of yeast on the surface of the wine. The wine is then matured without any racking, filtering or other human intervention.As it evaporates naturally the nature and colour of the wine changes - over 6 years or more - producing a deep yellow dry wine with distinctive and complex aromas of nuts and spices with a long long finish in the mouth. It is bottled in special 62cl “clavelin” bottles.

Every year there is a festival to celebrate and taste the “Vin Jaune” and this year it is to be held in the town of Lons-le-Saunier (01 Ain, Rhone-Alpes) on 4th and 5th February 2006. La Percee du Vin Jaune is a “moveable feast” that changes from one wine village to another each year and celebrates the breaching of the barrels of the Vin Jaune, 6 years and 3 months after being made. It’s a big festival and usually attracts around 30,000 visitors plus over the two days.
For more info see http://www.jura-vins.com/actualites-vins-jura.htm

Nearby (15km) is a good English run B&B in the village of Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire, Burgundy) -see their website at www.bandb-burgundy.com

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