Wine merchant known as the ‘pope of Beaujolais’ for turning little-known French red into a staple of British drinks menus dies at 86
- Georges Duboeuf’s daughter-in-law announced he died of a stroke on Saturday
- He was at his home in the village of Romanèche-Thorins, 30 miles north of Lyon
- Duboeuf kept things traditional, using centuries-old methods of winemaking
Wine merchant Georges Duboeuf (pictured), the man who brought the bottle of Beaujolais to the masses, has died at the age of 86
Wine merchant Georges Duboeuf, the man who brought the bottle of Beaujolais to the masses, has died at the age of 86.
Duboeuf, considered one of the giants of 20th Century oenophilia, was dubbed ‘The Pope of Beaujolais’ for turning the little-known French red into a staple on the Western World’s drinks menus.
By the 1980s, his advocacy for the earthy, smoky wine saw its monthly release date being known as Beaujolais Nouveau Day.
His daughter-in-law Anne announced he died of a stroke at around 5pm on Saturday at his home in the village of Romanèche-Thorins, 30 miles north of Lyon.
In the 1950s Mr Duboeuf founded L’Écrin Mâconnais-Beaujolais, an association of wine producers, to help push local wines across Europe.
His deals with traders and key restaurateurs across the region helped make Beaujolais more appealing to the mass market.
He then opened his own winery, Georges Duboeuf Wines, in 1964.
Duboeuf kept things traditional, using centuries-old methods of winemaking to produce every bottle.
Duboeuf, considered one of the giants of 20th Century oenophilia, was dubbed ‘The Pope of Beaujolais’ for turning the little-known French red into a staple on the Western World’s drinks menus
He would also monitor the wine fastidiously and had an almost compulsive devotion to hygiene.
As the winery grew to other regions, Duboeuf set up a shop and museum of winemaking in Romanèche-Thorins.
But it was his desire to share his love of Beaujolais Nouveau in that made him a cult figure.
Throughout the 1980s, he held special Beaujolais Nouveau festivals which were attended by Michelin-starred restaurateurs and celebrities of all kinds.
By the time he passed the company on to his son Franck in 2018, the company was producing about 30 million bottles a year which were sold internationally.
Dominique Piron, president of the Inter Beaujolais company, said Mr Duboeuf was responsible for ‘raising the Beaujolais flag all over the world’.
‘He had a nose, an intuition, [he was] a step ahead of everyone,’ he said.