Continuing the Great Post Covid Expedition To France we spend the night in Beaujolais. Travelling through France is like a circular tour of your best local off licence (or supermarket now we’re not in the 1960s). We’ve stayed in Reims (very nice glass of blanc de blanc champagne), driven past Gevrey Chambertin,  Beaune and Macon, and turned off the A6, through Belleville and middle of the Cru Beaujolais domaines. Every now and then we see a small crowd bent over the vines, hand picking the grapes ready for the next harvest. 

Now we’ve never been Beaujolais lovers. We entered enthusiastically into the mid-1980s ‘Beaujolais Nouveau’ farce created by the négociant Georges Duboeuf to boost sales – races to be the first to test the new vintage after it was released at 12:01 on the third Thursday of November. However, like all wines, drinking it in its natural habitat – within a grape pip of the vineyard under a warm setting sun – inevitably makes it taste a whole lot better than on a wet November evening in Yorkshire. And, in any event, avoid the Beaujolais Nouveaux, or the Villages – stick to one of the ten Crus.

À La Verrière is the epitome of a French B&B. It looks slightly shabby from the outside, but when you examine carefully you see everything is beautifully painted, the fabrics, blinds, pictures – details – all very carefully chosen. A difficult trick to pull off but done brilliantly here. So relaxing. Great pool, perfect shade on the terrace from a huge fig and a kiwi (really!). Heaven.

Dinner is served to all at 7.30pm on individual tables on the terrace. No choice, but you’re asked about any intolerances etc (no). “So, you eat all?”  Yes – and we drink all.

Kir with local natural wine and home-made framboise liqueur kicks the evening off, followed by Beaujolais rosé, Beaujolais white and, with the cheese and pud, a Beaujolais Cru – Morgan. All served in small glasses that were very regularly refilled. 

The food – delicious…

• Gazpacho – really good for you, beautifully smooth and perfectly seasoned 
• Sausage and potato in white wine
• Cheese – Comté, Morbiant, Chèvre
• Clafoutis with Mirabelle plums – no cream etc – it stands on its own.

Our room was called Alice and had those wonderful French inward opening casements. Breakfast, again on the terrace, baguette (tartine), toast, fruit bread, home-made cakes with home-made preserves, orange and pink grapefruit juice, and coffee served in bowls.

Long evening chats with an Australian and a New Zealander – both doctors escaping from a conference in Lyon for three weeks travelling. Charming – and they bickered with each other all night – clearly very old friends. À La Verrière is a great stop over, or a base if you fancy exploring Beaujolais and its wines. Us? We’re off to Carcassonne…but we could easily be tempted back. In fact, we should just move in.

Double room 89Eu. Dinner 32Eu each including the wines. 

Maison d’hôtes À La Verrière