Beaujolais is one of the best known French wines, for the good reason that it is delicious to drink when very young.

The phenomenal success of Beaujolais Nouveau during the 1980's owed a lot to adroit marketing but quite a bit too to the style of the wine, which combines freshness, fruitiness and fragrance. It has to be said, however, that the image of Beaujolais as a simple quaffing wine is outmoded; the better wines are of higher quality than that, particularly if they come from the best growers in the ten crus, which are in the northern part of the region.

The Beaujolais region is bordered to the north by the Maconnais, to the south by the Lyonnais, to the east by the broad valley of the Saone and to the west by the picturesque hills known as "Les Monts du Beaujolais". The vineyards, never more than ten miles wide, extend southwards for about 35 miles from the Maconnais commune of La Chapelle de Guinchay down to La Turdine close to the city of Lyon.

The vast majority of wine is red, made from the Gamay grape. A small amount of dry white wine, Beaujolais Blanc, is produced from Chardonnay in vineyards which intermingle with those in the Maconnais district of St Veran. A tiny amount of rose is also produced.

Viticulturally, Beaujolais is divided into two parts, reflecting a sharp difference of soils. The Haut Beaujolais, the northern part, has an essentially granite soil and produces the best wines; the Bas Beaujolais is based on clay and limestone giving the wines an earthier flavour.

The hierarchy of wine quality in Beaujolais is in three levels. In ascending order of both quality and price they are: Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages and the ten crus.

Beaujolais is the simplest wine of the region, mainly produced in the Bas Beaujolais, which is the major source of Beaujolais Nouveau.

There is a jump in quality to Beaujolais Villages. This appellation governs 39 villages in the Haut Beaujolais. The granite soil, the higher altitude and a longer spell in tanks or barrels all contribute to wines of greater depth and flavour.

The ten crus are the aristocrats of Beaujolais and experienced tasters can distinguish one cru from another. But it has to be said that too many of these wines have become depersonalised through an excessive use of chaptalisation in which the alcoholic content of the wine is increased by the addition of extra sugar.

Brouilly is the most forward, delicate and fruity of the ten crus. The best part of Brouilly is the steep, blue granite hill called the Cote du Brouilly, which usually produces a richer wine needing an extra year in bottle.

Chiroubles is a cru to be drunk in the spring and summer following the vintage. Practically all the Beaujolais crus are distinguished by the fresh grapey flavour of the Gamay.

This characteristic is less marked in Morgon, where the wine often shows a richer taste akin to cherries, plums or even apricots. Morgon wines also have a reputation for ageing well, especially if they come from the decomposed slatey soil of the Cote de Py vineyard.

Fleurie is probably the most fashionable cru, with the wines showing a floral character, generous fruit and a lovely velvety texture.

Julienas is one of the most northerly crus, producing powerful wines with a minerally character.

Chenas is little known, but the wines often show the Burgundian richness of neighbouring Moulin-a-Vent at a more reasonable price.

In Moulin-a-Vent, manganese in the subsoil gives the wine great colour and body.

St Amour is the least typical cru, for the boundaries of the commune lie entirely in the Maconnais; the soil is clay and limestone which shapes a different style in the wine - discreet, subtle and vinous.

Regnie was elevated to cru status in 1988. The growers say that their wines should show the easy fruit of Brouilly combined with the firm character of Morgon, but this is not always apparent in the glass.