Beaujolais Nouveau Day
Although Cru Beaujolais has been having its moment in the sun for a few years now, its younger, lighter-bodied ‘nouveau’ cousin is coming back into its own.
How Beaujolais Nouveau Day started
The tradition of Beaujolais Nouveau dates back to the 1800s. Winemakers would bottle their just-fermented wine, produced from grapes harvested just a few months prior, an unusually tight timeframe in winemaking terms.
This occasion called for a massive celebration among Beaujolais-based vignerons, as well as bar owners and restaurateurs in nearby Lyon who would buy these wines by the barrel.
The official release date of Beaujolais Nouveau wines shifted throughout the 20th century. Upon the creation of the Beaujolais AOC in 1937, wines from the region (including Nouveau-style bottlings) couldn’t be released until after 15 December of the same year.
But by 1951 the regulations changed, and the official release date became 15 November.
In 1985, the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine) deemed the third Thursday of November as the official release date of Beaujolais Nouveau wines.
As interest in these wines developed abroad, winemakers have since begun releasing them even earlier, so as to have the bottles available on international shelves ready for the official release date.
What do Beaujolais Nouveau wines taste like?
Due to their lack of ageing, Beaujolais Nouveau wines are light-bodied and fruit-driven, marked by low levels of tannin and bright acidity.
Critics of Beaujolais Nouveau describe the wines as thin or lacking complexity, but the nouveau style is not
