SOME time around 1980, before business lunches sobered up, Ireland was in the grip of an intense fling with Beaujolais. "Boo jolly" I remember one big spender in the dining rooms of Dublin commanding time and again, without ever pausing to consult the wine list and bottle after bottle would disappear. You might fault his pronunciation but in a way it was just right for a light, cheerful, inoffensive wine nobody would feel like saying boo to.
That was straight Beaujolais. There was also Beaujolais Nouveau which it was fashionable to guzzle in the few weeks between mid November and Christmas, after the importers had raced each other to be first with their consignment in the wine shops. For a time, all the hype helped to divert attention from the fact that the wine itself often wasn't worth the fuss. Then, in 1984, came the tragic air crash in which a small group of Irishmen bringing back the new vintage were killed. At that moment, in the minds of, many fledgling wine drinkers, Beaujolais Nouveau fell from grace. We could get by without it. Anybody who developed an acute thirst for a fruity, newly released red in the depths of winter could soon assuage it, in any case, with help from Australia or Chile.
Time passed and somehow, in a world suddenly obsessed with vigorous international grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot, Beaujolais (from a small, slender strip of mountainous France) was left out in the cold. Not in the fridge, where by rights we should have had it cooling to make the most of its vibrant fruitiness, but half forgotten, dismissed.
"Beaujolais isn't that a lost cause?" a major Irish wine importer (with a first rate Beaujolais producer on his list) sighed not all that long ago. But others in the wine trade here see fashion swinging back not, perhaps, to basic Beaujolais which can be mean and thin, but to the better wines of Beaujolais villages and the 10 crus or growths within the region. I think we have our new friend terroir to thank the wine world's shorthand for the way subtle differences of soil and climate can result in distinctly different wines. Beaujolais is a dream test case for the argument.
A patch of Burgundy 34 miles, long and 79 miles wide produces, from only the Gamay grape, a string of wines as distinct from each other in flavour as the chocolates in a box of Quality Street.
Starting with the lightest, and fruitiest and moving towards the few with ageing potential, they are Brouilly, Cotes de Brouilly, Chiroubles, Regnie, Fleuric, Saint Amour, Chenas, Julienas, Morgon and Moulin a Vent. The lighter the style you choose, the better it will taste drunk young.
At the heavier end of the scale Chenas, Julienas, Morgon and Moulin a Vent sometimes benefit from being kept three or four years to soften their acidity and round out the fruit a procedure you may have to undertake yourself as the vintages on sale can be indecently youthful.
While Ireland's top favourites are Fleurie and Brouilly, it's interesting to see more and more examples of the other eight creeping on to Irish shelves notably from Georges Duboeuf, the so called King of Beaujolais, and Robert Sarrau, another well known name. Both Duboeuf and Sarrau produce some exciting single estate wines as well as the more familiar generic examples of the various crus.
With so much variety available, you can have fun working your way around the entire region, sampling different flavours and examining national prejudices. Are we right, to put Fleurie and Brouilly out in front, or have the French good reason to rave about Chiroubles and Chenas? And what about little known Regnie which has only been a cru since 1988?
They don't come cheap, any of these Beaujolais crus, it must be said That Wakes the virtue of buying a reliable name (see right) even more critical than usual. The budget alternative is to buy a decent Beaujolais Villages wine from 39 specified villages in the area, usually fuller in flavour than simple Beaujolais, with the pronounced cherry and raspberry flavours of Gamay.
The latest news on this particular grapevine is that the 1995 Gamay vintage due to arrive in a matter of weeks is the best since 1989.
Tuck a bottle in the fridge for an hour, then try it with a plate of salami or cheese and remember what the beau in Beaujolais is all about. Easy, uncomplicated, drinking pleasure.
THE BIG NAMES
Reliable labels to look out for Georges Duboeuf, Robert Sarrau, Joseph Drouhin, Chateau de Raousset, Sylvain Fessy, Faiveley, Louis Jadot, Mommesin. Most produce good Beaujolais from more than one appellation. Duboeuf and Sarrau have wines from all 10.
A MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages 1994 (widely available, £7.49-£7.99).
From the best known producer of them all, Georges Duboeuf with his flower bedecked labels, this is a big step up from basic Beaujolais with almost as much of the lovely, beady fruit as you expect to find in the mow expensive cries, See Bottle of the Week. It you know this wine inside out already and would prefer something more recherche the look out for Duboeuf's Beaujolais Villages from single estates. One delicious one is Chateau de Vierres 1994 (James Nicholson, £5.99)
Faiveley Brouilly 1994 McCabes, Terroirs, Lynch's Glanmire and some other outlets, £10.99 approx.)
Soft, inviting aromas of raspberries and herbs, good depth of fruit on the palate and a firm, dry finish make this Brouilly from a well known Burgundy producer a good example of one of the lightest and fruitiest of the Beaujolais crus.
Chateau de Raousset Chiroubles 1994 (Findlaters and some Superquinns, £10.34).
France's favourite Beaujolais deserves to be swallowed up more greedily here if this fragrant and delicious Chiroubles is anything to go by. A lovely cherry perfume and Juicy, mouth filling flavours give it personality by the bottleful. No wonder it was a gold medal winner at the 1995 Concours des Grands Vins de France (as, indeed, was the Morgon from this chateau).
Joseph Droubin Fleurie 1994 (Redmonds and many other outlets, £10.59). Fleurie, often described as the Queen of Beaujolais because of its delicacy and elegance, is still Ireland's favourite. This one from another Burgundy big gun is lush with red fruits and just a hint of chocolate, making it rich though light bodied. Stylish and seductive.
Georges Duboeuf Saint Amour 1993 (Deveneys, Molloys, some SuperValues, Vineyard Galway, Feeney's Salthill and some other outlets, about £10).
Another cru much loved in France maybe because of the love associations in the name, maybe because of its aromatic, slightly peachy nature. Duboeuf's has a bit of body wonderful sweetness balanced with slight chewiness.
Chateau Gaillard Morgon 1994 (Vintry Rathgar, Jus de Vine Portmarnock, Wine Cellar Raheny, Wine Barrel Sligo and some other outlets, £9.60-£9.90.
From one of the many small estates from which Robert Sarrau produces top quality Beaujolais, this is an interesting example of one of the more robust, age worthy, crus with enticing cherry fruit and enough backbone to make it a flexible partner for food.
Moulin a Vent des Hospices 1993 (Searsons, £12.75).
Enter the heavy brigade Layered aromas of perfumed red fruits, leather and smoke and wonderful, rich complexity in the mouth make this a much more, serious wine than the lighter bodies further up the list. Closer to Burgundy, at a price you couldn't expect Burgundy to deliver much for. Terrific.