My uncle worked as a chef for an American actress in Paris during the 1950’s. He was fondly referred to as Papa Beaujolais. I have only ever had Beaujolais Nouveau and can’t believe that was his favourite wine?

It is unlikely that your uncle’s passion for Beaujolais was based on Beaujolais Nouveau. Although a wonderful festival and celebration of the new vintage in its inception, the Nouveau concept has sort of run out of steam as a marketing tool in the UK.

Not so long ago, enterprising wine professionals delighted in racing over to Beaujolais to collect a few cases of the new wine as it was released at midnight on a specific November night having been deemed by the local wine conseil to be of sufficient age to be drunk.

These sporting chaps and gels would put the throttle down in their sporting soft tops and race through the night to quaff the inky purple liquid with bacon and eggs at eight o’clock in the morning in the fashionable bars and restaurants of London.

A morning of blackened teeth and juicy acidity was usually followed by a post prandial doze in the afternoon and a sore head in the evening.

I would suggest that while this was all a lot of fun in the old days, Papa Beaujolais’s eye and palate was more likely caught by the less racy but more classy Beaujolais Villages and the in particular the Cru Beaujolais from the best villages of the region.

The 10 Cru villages namely, Moulin a Vent, Fleurie, Morgon, St.Amour, Chenas, Julienas, Chiroubles, Brouilly, Cote de Brouilly and Regnie produce a much finer more interesting wine that in your uncle’s day would have been relatively cheap and available. Each village wine has particular characteristics, Brouilly is typically lively and fruity, Fleurie is smooth and perfumed while Moulin a Vent can be full and concentrated, as far away from Beaujolais Nouveau as the Gamay grape gets. Indeed a good Moulin a Vent from a good year can emulate a decent Burgundy.

Given its proximity to the capital, Beaujolais has always been an important supplier of red wines to Paris. The natural affinity of the Gamay grape, Beaujolais sole constituent grape, to all manor of food has ensured its popularity in the bistros and restaurants of Paris.

While not an obvious choice for us Brits when dining in the French capital, a good Cru Beaujolais can provide the ideal foil to so many dishes. On my last visit a delicious Julienas went so well with a rich cassoulet on a warm autumn afternoon on the banks of the Seine.

Saint-Amour 2007, Domaine des Billards, £11.50 from Nicolas is a riot of lovely mixed berries. The fruits of the forest notes follow through on the lovely juicy, long palate that lingers and warms.

Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages 2008 from £8.99, available in Tesco and Waitrose has a heady, warm strawberry compote nose with a jammy underlying richness; easy and smooth on the palate with a delicious ripe strawberry flavour.

Chanson Fleurie 2007 £9.99 down to £8.49 when you buy 2 bottles Majestic Raspberry perfume over ripe smooth plum tones. Lovely berries and plums flavour, blackcurrant strawberry and plum but juicy astringency.

Regnié 2007, Domaine Jean-Michel Dupré, £8.49 from Oddbins (store only) has the fragrance of freshly crushed raspberries. The palate has a pithy edge to the ripe red berry fruit flavours which would suit good charcuterie.

2009 Henry Fessy Brouilly Waitrose at £9.49 has a warm, rounded plumy depth to ripe strawberry tones with a tangy, slightly tart finish that would cut through rich fatty foods such as pork, duck or pate.

Saint-Amour 2006, Domaine des Petits Guinchays, £10.99 from Averys of Bristol. The intense, sweet, concentrated strawberry nose has a fraise de bois (wild strawberry) core. The concentration is evident on the palate too as the pure dark berry fruit core evolves towards wild strawberries.

Sainsbury Taste The Difference Beaujolais Villages 2007 £5.99 is a classic example of simple straightforward Beaujolais, bright, tonal, strawberry bubblegum nose, with a hint of pear drops. Simple, peppery, red fruits on the palate.