2011 Beaujolais, Vieilles Vignes Cuvée Traditionelle, Domaine de Vissoux, Burgundy, France (£11.30, Great Western Wines tel. 01225 322810, www.bouquetwines.com, www.slurp.co.uk, Stony Wine Emporium tel. 01908 267373, Blanco & Gomez tel. 020 7352 8680). Occasionally, I host slightly unusual wine tastings on behalf of Quintessentially Wine. Alongside the regular claret dinners and Burgundy masterclasses I also match fine wine to intricately blended scent at Miller Harris, in Mayfair, and to William Curley’s exceptional chocolates in Pimlico. These are immensely enjoyable events in which people realise just how their acute senses of smell and taste really are. One wine that has appeared many of these eclectic events is this magnificent Beaujolais and it is also happens to be the most perfect summer red I can think of. Made by Pierre and Martine Chermette this is one of the most succulent, rewarding and authentic wines you could hope to find from this underrated region. Made from old vines, in the traditional method, using natural yeasts and no added sugar, this is the antithesis to the ridiculous Nouveau muck that gave us all headaches in the 80s and 90s. It is a hand-crafted, velvety, unfiltered, wistful, artisanal wine with masses of class and a tiny price point. Gamay is regarded as second class citizen in the grape hierarchy but this example is as alluring and noble as any Pinot Noir.
