Beautiful, bucolic,

Beautiful, bucolic, vine-blessed BEAUJOLAIS North of Lyon and south of Burgundy lies Beaujolais, an area whose name everyone knows but very few have visited. A secret place of hills and vineyards, of ancient gold stone-coloured villages where the local bistro serving the sort of grub that warms the cockles of your heart is at the centre of daily life, and where Romanesque style churches and majestic castles dot the landscape. Famous the world over for its Beaujolais Nouveau wine, it’s a part of France that the French know about, and the rest of us don’t – but should, says Janine Marsh. Beaujolais, in the Rhone-Alpes region, is around 34 miles long and 9 miles wide at its widest point and almost half of it is covered in vines. Much of the rest is either pasture or forest, a land of hills packed tightly together giving it the nickname “little Switzerland” for its alpine feel. It is almost a secret place, unspoiled and uncrowded. The young world-famous Beaujolais Nouveau is just one small part of the local wine story - vines were planted here long before the Romans arrived. And one of the most fascinating places to find out more, is the wine theme park Hameau Duboeuf at Romanèche-Thorins. Yes, you read that right. A theme park dedicated to wine. And if you think that doesn’t sound like fun – you could not be more wrong. It’s unique, fascinating and fun for all the family. It was created by Georges Duboeuf, the greatest wine merchant in Beaujolais, possibly in France and the man who put Beaujolais Nouveau on the world’s wine map. Released on the third Thursday of November each year, it might make a big splash, but it’s not what Beaujolais is all about. The non-nouveau wines are nothing like their younger family member, they range from soft and fresh to rich, robust and magnificent. Hameau Duboeuf is no ordinary theme park. A friend had told me that he stumbled across this place, “we arrived at 9am. I thought I’d be there an hour, I’m not really into wine museums - we were still there at 6pm. It’s that good.” Well, he’s not wrong and in fact it’s even better now following the opening in 2023 © Inter Beaujolais, Floriane Tanneur The train carriage of Napoleon III, Hameau Duboeuf 82 Château | The de Good Jarnioux Life © France François De Clavière The Good Life France | 83