Located north of Lyon. Covers parts of the departments of Rhône and Saône-et-Loire.

There are 12 appellations of Beaujolais wines.​

Beaujolais AOC is the most extended appellation allowed to be used in any of the 96 villages, but essentially covering 60 villages, and refers to all basic Beaujolais wines. A large portion of the wine produced under this appellation is sold as Beaujolais Nouveau.
Annually, this appellation averages around 75 million bottles a year in production.
Maximum level of sulfur dioxide in the Nouveau is limited at 100 mg/l.

Beaujolais covers a vast area, from the south of Mâcon to north of Lyon, accounting for 14, 500 hectares of vines claimed in the 12 Beaujolais AOCs, practically all planted with gamay (98%). The regional AOCs are generally located in the southern part of the vineyard, while the communal AOCs (Beaujolais crus) are in the north. Beaujolais vines flourish on a diversity of terroirs: in the south, the soil is often clayey, sometimes chalky, and the landscape is characterisz ed by a series of rolling hills, while in the north, the soil is often sandy, half granitic in origin. Characterising the Beaujolais soil helped bring to light over 300 soil profiles that have been described and commented on by geologists with the winegrowers, based on soil maps drawn for each of the 12 appellations. The renown, the uses, the wine quality, the sensory aspect, and what differentiates one locality from another, are all components demonstrating the wealth of the Beaujolais terroirs. Vineyard stakeholders now know more about the soils that surround them, the soils they shape on a daily basis, and consequently they can protect them better to highlight them on their labels.