Château des Poupets

At table

What Beaujolais eats

The vineyard sits between Burgundy and Lyon. The plate is generous, garlicky, and built for Gamay.

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Charcuterie and the first glass

Saucisson, jésus de Lyon, terrines and andouillette are the everyday start. A chilled Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages cuts the salt; a Cru Juliénas stands up to the richer cuts.

The Lyonnais table

Coq au vin, poulet de Bresse when you can find it, quenelles in sauce, and grattons. Cervelle de canut — fromage blanc with herbs, shallot and vinegar — is the local answer to a heavy lunch. Lyon is forty-five minutes away if you want a full bouchon evening.

Cheese and fruit

Saint-Marcellin and Saint-Félicien are the regional soft cheeses. Pair them with Fleurie or a slightly cooler Juliénas. In season: cherries, peaches, and the golden apples of the hills.

Sweet endings

Pink praline tarts from Lyon, chocolate with an older Cru, or nothing at all except a last glass of Clos des Poupets. Nouveau, in November, wants something simple — a sugar tart, friends, and no ceremony.

Alliance Française Wellington
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Eat where the wine list is short and local. The best pairing in Beaujolais is still the bottle from the hill you just drove.