Imperceptibly, as you continue south of Taizé, the Mâconnais becomes the Beaujolais, a larger area of terraced hills producing lighter, fruity red wines, which it is now fashionable to drink very early. The Beaujolais grape is the Gamay, which, in contrast to other parts of Burgundy, thrives here on this granite soil. Of the four appellations of Beaujolais, the best are the crus, including Morgon and Fleurie, which come from the northern part of the region between St-Amour (the northernmost cru), and Brouilly in the south. If you have transport, you can follow the cru trail south from Mâcon by turning right at Crêches-sur-Saône up the D31 to St-Amour, and then south along the D68. Beaujolais Villages, which produces the most highly regarded nouveau, comes from the middle of the Beaujolais region, south of the cru belt, while plain Beaujolais and Beaujolais Supérieur are produced in the vineyards southwest of Villefranche.The well-marked route de Beaujolais winds down through the wine villages to VILLEFRANCHE, not far from Lyon and a good base for the route. Here, the tourist office at 290 rue de Thizy (July & Aug Mon–Sat 9am–noon & 2–6.30pm, Sun 9am–noon; Sept–June Mon–Sat 9am–noon & 1.30–6pm; tel 04.74.07.27.40) has information about caves, visits and wine tours. There are numerous cheap hotels, almost all near the gare SNCF. A good one to try is the friendly and clean Hôtel de Bourgogne, 91 rue Stalingrad (tel 04.74.65.06.42; under €30). Most of the cafés on rue Nationale are good for snacks or cheap menus, too.
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