Named in honour of the Beaujolais Nouveau Day, which celebrates the splendid harvest of the handpicked local Gamay grape, the Beaujolais weekend is a weekend of regularity rallying like no other and is the most popular of Simon’s events. There is nothing quite like the sense of adventure, competition and camaraderie you will feel over this weekend as navigator and driver tackle a series of drives through the picturesque French countryside.

Some interesting facts; Beaujolais Nouveau is always released the third Thursday of November, regardless of the start of the harvest. The region of Beaujolais is 34 miles long from north to south and 7 to 9 miles wide. There are nearly 4,000 grape growers who make their living in this picturesque region just north of France's third largest city, Lyon. All the grapes in the Beaujolais region must be picked by hand. These are the only vineyards, along with Champagne, where hand harvesting is mandatory. 'Gamay' is the only grape permitted for Beaujolais. While certain California wineries may label their wine "Gamay Beaujolais" this is not the same grape variety as what is grown in France.