Operation Lyon 2026: how Beaujolais plans to win back its hometown crowd

Why Lyon matters (again)

Geography meets gastronomy

Few wine regions in the world are as physically close to a major urban center as Beaujolais is to Lyon. In less than 45 minutes, you can leave the cobbled streets of Croix-Rousse and find yourself among vines in Fleurie or Brouilly. This should make Lyon a natural ambassador for Beaujolais wines—a gateway city, a home market, a partner.

But over the last decade, that relationship has cooled.
Beaujolais became synonymous with “Nouveau”—a style once wildly popular, now sometimes dismissed as passé. Meanwhile, Lyon’s vibrant culinary scene turned its focus toward Loire whites, Rhône Syrahs, even international wines. Beaujolais wines were right next door, but no longer top of mind.

For a region with deep roots in local culture and cuisine, this distance is more than commercial—it’s symbolic. Lyon isn’t just a target market. It’s part of Beaujolais’ identity.

An evolving city, a shifting market

Today’s Lyon is a city in motion. It’s younger, more international, and more health-conscious. The typical wine drinker has changed: there are fewer daily consumers, more curious tasters, and a growing appetite for freshness, lower alcohol, and authenticity.

National trends back this up. Wine consumption in France has fallen to 22.5 liters per person per year in 2024, less than half the volume of 2010. People drink less often, but want more meaning in what they drink—story, transparency, origin.

For Beaujolais, Lyon isn’t just a nostalgic market to reclaim. It’s a strategic testing ground for how the region can thrive in today’s wine world.

Operation “Lyon 2026”: a two-part plan to reclaim the city

February: the trade takes the first sip

The first step in Beaujolais’ comeback is targeted and tactical: win over the professionals. In February 2026, Inter Beaujolais will host a new trade-focused event in Lyon. It’s designed for wine buyers, sommeliers, merchants, and restaurateurs—the gatekeepers of taste.

At least 75 producers from across the Beaujolais appellations will be present, offering their wines at individual stands. Some 300 professionals are expected to attend, not just for tastings but for masterclasses, educational workshops, and business networking.

The focus? Gamay—Beaujolais’ beating heart. But also the region’s evolving identity: parcel-based cuvées, organic practices, subtle winemaking shifts. The goal is clear: rebuild trust, renew curiosity, and put Beaujolais back on the wine lists of Lyon.

May: a public celebration of Gamay and place

Then comes the grand public event—a two-day celebration in May 2026, set in the vibrant Confluence district, where the Saône and Rhône rivers meet. It’s a symbolic choice: a place of transformation, of old and new blending together—just like Beaujolais itself.

This will be no traditional wine fair. It’s designed as an urban experience, where wine meets culture, lifestyle, and storytelling. Visitors will wander from stand to stand—each appellation with its own counter—sampling over 90 different cuvées, from fruity Beaujolais Nouveau to structured crus like Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent.

Gamay will take center stage, but other French regions will also be invited as “friendly competitors”—highlighting Beaujolais’ confidence, diversity, and openness. Organizers expect more than 3,000 attendees, including a younger, more diverse crowd than traditional wine events often attract.

This isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about relevance.

The Consumer has changed — and Beaujolais fits the new mold

Today’s wine drinker: curious, casual, and conscientious

The days of wine as a daily ritual are fading. Across France—and especially in urban centers like Lyon—consumers are drinking less but thinking more. Wine is no longer just a habit. It’s an experience. A choice.

Today’s wine lover is often:

• Younger, with more varied taste
• Urban, and drawn to stories of place and people
• Health-aware, seeking lower alcohol and moderation
• Adventurous, open to new grapes, styles, and regions

At a national level, the numbers are striking: only 11% of French adults drink wine regularly today. But among those who do, there’s a growing preference for wines that are light, bright, and easy to drink—qualities that Gamay delivers naturally.

Beaujolais: made for now

If modern wine drinkers could design a region from scratch, it might look a lot like Beaujolais.

Gamay, the region’s signature grape, is perfectly suited to contemporary tastes:

• It’s low in alcohol, often around 12–12.5%
• It’s vibrant and fruity, with red berry aromas and soft tannins
• It’s extremely versatile, pairing with everything from charcuterie to Asian street food

Beyond Gamay, the region offers much more than people often assume: fresh rosés, crisp Chardonnays, terroir-driven reds, and increasingly, natural and organic cuvées led by a new wave of passionate winemakers.

Beaujolais doesn’t need to reinvent itself—it just needs to tell its story better. And that’s exactly what Lyon 2026 is setting out to do.

The human side of the story: vintners and vision

A long-overdue homecoming

Behind every bottle of Beaujolais is a grower, a family, a village. And for many of them, the absence of a strong presence in Lyon has felt personal. Despite being just a few dozen kilometers away, the city had become a distant neighbor.

“There was a real demand from the producers,” said Jean-Marc Lafont, president of Inter Beaujolais. “We needed to be visible again in Lyon—not just in shops or on menus, but in people’s hearts.”

For many vignerons, Lyon 2026 isn’t just about market share—it’s about belonging. It’s about reestablishing the emotional and cultural link between a region and its capital city. This is not a marketing campaign. It’s a reconnection.

Confidence, not comparison

One of the boldest aspects of Lyon 2026 is its openness.
During the May public event, other French wine regions will be welcomed as guests—not competitors. Why?

Because Beaujolais isn’t trying to be Burgundy, or Bordeaux, or the Rhône. It’s embracing what makes it unique: approachability, freshness, spontaneity. It’s not about prestige; it’s about pleasure.

This new strategy reflects a generational shift among Beaujolais producers—many of whom are now younger, more experimental, and more attuned to the rhythms of a modern audience. They’re not afraid of side-by-side tasting. In fact, they invite it.

The message is clear: Beaujolais belongs in Lyon, not because of tradition, but because it makes sense—now more than ever.