Domaine du Calvaire de Roche-Gres Fleurie, Beaujolais Villages, Didier Desvignes, 2019

Didier Desvignes Domaine Du Calvaire De Roche-Gres Beaujolais-Villages is from one of the great producers of the region, and this easy drinking yet surprisingly substantial Beaujolais-Villages does exactly what it says on the tin! It is beautifully balanced, with delicious black cherry fruit, fine, smooth tannins and refreshing acidity that brings the palate to life. Just the thing for quaffing with some poultry or charcuterie.

If you want to know what good Beaujolais should taste like, try this. A first class example of a much maligned wine. Hearty and very fruity, it is at home with almost any red meat or poultry dish.

The vineyards that grow the Gamay grapes used for this Beaujolais Villages are contiguous with the vineyards of Morgon and similarly their soils are a granite substrate covered by a sandy topsoil.

The vines are pruned in the traditional gobelet style and Didier practices sustainable viticulture, avoiding the use of herbicides and pesticides. All of the grapes are hand harvested to keep the bunches whole so that the fermentation can be started using the typical carbonic maceration technique. Each area of vines is harvested separately and the grapes are vinified in their own cement tanks, allowing the parcels to express their distinct terroir before being carefully blended into the best possible final wine.

To put it simply, it's fantastic Beaujolais. Really fruity, incredibly well balanced and good coolish in the winter and summer alike. If you're having a chicken casserole like coq au vin, there's nothing finer to go with it.

• ❖ ABV: 13.5%