Beaujolais Nouveau Wine: What's the Fuss all About?

Every year, people all over the world look forward to the experience and wait impatiently for the new cuvée to hit the shelves as soon as possible after the third Thursday in November.

Beaujolais Nouveau wine is made, bottled and released within just a few weeks of the grapes being picked from the vine. 

Beaujolais is a small wine-growing area in Rhône-Alpes, about a thirty-minute drive from Lyon. The Gamay grape makes up almost all Beaujolais wines (though a little white Beaujolais is made too, from Chardonnay).

Unique Labels and Traditions

Georges Duboeuf wine house designs a new, floral-patterned label every year. They also release a limited-edition bottle with the floral pattern as decoration. If you are lucky enough to live in the USA, Duboeuf used to give wine merchants matching floral-print ties.

The Buzz of Beaujolais Nouveau

But why is there such a big fuss about Beaujolais Nouveau? And why is it so highly anticipated every year?

No matter how big you are in the wine world, no one is allowed a sneaky taste before it’s officially released. For every nouveau fan sitting and counting the hours to try the newest wine, there are just as many other wine drinkers snubbing the idea. 

Is it the moment of the surprise that makes this young, light and fruity wine from the Gamay grape so interesting? 

Plenty of different tastes and flavours have been released in previous years. When it’s really good, it might remind you of a light and fruity Pinot Noir. If you tend to stick to your favourite Shiraz and hate wines that don’t taste like that, ignore Beaujolais Nouveau. It’s not for you.

The Making of a New Wine

Because the release date is set in stone, the nouveau is often made quickly and may ferment for only a few days. Every year is different, as the harvest season varies. So the time the winemaker has to work with the wine in the winery can also feel rushed. Beaujolais Nouveau doesn’t spend any time in oak, so what you get is what you grew.

The Race to Be the First

The tradition of racing to be the first eatery to get the newest Beaujolais Nouveau onto your diners’ tables started in the Bistros of Paris in the 1960s, and soon spread to the UK and elsewhere around the world.

The yearly competition of “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est Arrivé!” ran for decades, with all sorts of fun and games to get the first bottles into UK restaurants and wine shops – such as this precious wine being driven over in vintage Rolls-Royces, flown in small planes, a case or two strapped onto the pillion seat of a fast motorbike! These incredible lengths people go to be among the first to taste this year’s new wine.

Join the Excitement

So come on out, and be among the first to taste the new Beaujolais. What do you think about the Beaujolais Nouveau - to buy or not to buy?

Just remember, Beaujolais Nouveau isn’t a gourmet wine, and you won’t find it on the wine list of French restaurants. But the excitement of tasting the first wine produced from the summer’s harvest and the thrill of the release are definitely worth all the fuss!