When Is Beaujolais Nouveau Day: History is important to wine, and knowing the different vintages and styles of wine is seen as a sign of refined sophistication.
Vintners and wine lovers, or oenophiles, think that some vintages are especially special, and having them is seen as a sign of real connoisseurship.
A well-trained palate can tell the difference between wine smells, picking up on small changes caused by production methods, grape varieties, and where the wine comes from.
History of Beaujolais Nouveau Day
The unique wine Beaujolais Nouveau is made from the stunning Gamay grapes that are grown in the Beaujolais area of France and are known for looking like jewels.
So many people want to buy this vintage that the first person to list bottles for sale, which always happens on the third Thursday of November, is in a race.
Because French wine rules are so loose, this wine can be sold in the same year it was picked, which makes it unique. This type of wine, called vin de primeur, is usually made from Gamay grapes, which ferment quickly and give the wine rich, sweet flavors that are brought out by the sugar that is left over.
How to Celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day
There is nothing easy about this party! Just get a bottle of the new Beaujolais Nouveau and share it with the people you care about. Okay, but why stop there? You can always find vin de primeur wines, so now is the best time to try this great vintage.
These great wines, from the Rose Bordeaux to the Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire, are just ready for wine lovers of all types to find.
This could be a great chance to learn more about wine and cheese tasting since they go so well together. Celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day to discover new wines and cultural events. Let’s try new foods and have fun with our friends this holiday season! Hey there!
How is Beaujolais Nouveau Made?
Gamay grapes were picked by hand to make this wine, which tastes crisp and fruity. Lightly crushing the bottom grapes starts the fermentation process and lets out more carbon dioxide when they are put in a big, sealed jar full of carbon dioxide gas.
For all the grapes to ripen, a process called “carbonic maceration” helps make a lot of carbon dioxide. To speed up the production of Beaujolais Nouveau and shorten the brewing time, carbonic maceration is needed. What did the outcome mean? It is a red wine that stands out because it is fresh and has low tannin content.
What is special about Beaujolais Nouveau?
Beautiful Nouveau also called the “fastest wine in the world,” is made just 7–8 weeks after the grapes are picked and sells 35 million bottles around the world. Just 55 appellations in the Beaujolais area make this red wine, and they are the only ones that can use the famous “AOC” designation.
Different from other wines, Beaujolais Nouveau is made with the Gamay grape variety, which is perfect for the carbonic maceration fermentation process that only this type of wine uses. It’s different from other types of grapes because of this method.
Also, the quick harvest makes a young, light red wine that tastes and feels sweet. Beaujolais Nouveau is known for having simple tastes that don’t play with your senses. It often smells like fruit, like grape, raspberry, cranberry, fig, and banana. The fact that it’s still pretty young makes it different from other wines. The best time to drink Beaujolais Nouveau is when it is still young, fresh, and full of delicious fruit tastes!
Beaujolais Nouveau Uses Distinct Winemaking Methods
Because it is made uniquely, Beaujolais Nouveau gets from the farm to the store shelves very quickly—just a few weeks.
The only thing used to make this wine is Gamay grapes. The thin skin of the Gamay grape makes a light-bodied wine with lots of delicious red fruit flavors. Most of the time, you can enjoy Gamay wines best the year they were made. This is because they are simple wines that only need to age for a short time in barrels or bottles.
Beaujolais Nouveau is made using a classic method called carbonic maceration. They were carefully picking grape bunches by hand and putting them in a big container with a lid. Fermentation starts inside the whole berry when carbon dioxide is added. As fermentation continues, the grapes near the bottom break apart because of their weight, letting out more carbon dioxide. By not using air, this anaerobic fermentation method creates a fruity, lively wine with a light tannic bite that is the very essence of freshness.
What date is Beaujolais Nouveau released?
third Thursday of November
On the third Thursday of November every single year, the region of Beaujolais in the east of France celebrates the release of Beaujolais Nouveau wine, following the year’s harvest. On this day, Beaujolais Nouveau wine floods the market in France and the rest of the world.
In the 1950s, Beaujolais Nouveau started as a great way to sell wine. Producers knew they needed to boost sales by making this young vintage more appealing. Even though the idea of selling young wine wasn’t new—vintners used to sell “fresh” wine because it was easier to keep, the practice has become less common as methods for aging wine have gotten better.
From the 1800s on, Beaujolais Nouveau was mostly made for home use. Before that, it was popular in Lyon restaurants and served as a drink after the harvest.
When they first started, it took a lot of work for producers to sell big amounts outside of their local markets. Then, a clever marketing plan came up: a race to Paris to get the first bottles that would be used in bars and restaurants. This planned move helped the wine get a good reputation in the nation’s capital.
Famous producer Georges Duboeuf helped bring more attention to the Beaujolais Nouveau race in the 1970s. With the help of “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” signs that said “The Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived!” the story of the rush to get the wine to people who wanted to buy it became a worldwide sensation.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau still a thing?
For U.S. foodies, Thanksgiving is the big holiday in November. But for wine lovers, another holiday arrives a week beforehand: Beaujolais Nouveau Day, which falls on the third Thursday of the month each year.
After a rough August with a heatwave, some hail damage, and several heat waves that hurt younger vines and those grown at lower elevations, the 2023 harvest started on September 1. The changes in the weather pushed the harvest season up, so growers had to pick the Gamay grapes before they got too ripe. This makes the wines a little fuller-bodied than regular Nouveau.
It was time to harvest in the third week of September. However, Sylvain Tête of Domaine du Clos du Fief is optimistic about the quality of this crop, even though there were some problems before harvest. He then said, “Our old vines kept their freshness.” “In comparison to 2021, there’s perhaps more refinement and even greater harmony.”
Even so, hail caused big crop losses in many places where grapes were grown. Domaine des Marrans’s Mathieu Mélinand noticed that their yields were about the same as in 2022, which was also a bad year for grapes because of summer hail that killed more than half of their Fleurie cru farm fruit.
What is so special about Beaujolais Nouveau?
Beaujolais Nouveau is different to almost every other French wine. Unlike other French wine, it is drunk immediately after harvesting (barrels are rolled through the streets to shops), it has a cheerful reputation (due to its affordability) and doesn’t take itself too seriously (it is marketed to the masses).
Internationally, people celebrate “Beaujolais Nouveau Day” in honor of a bright, crisp red wine made in the beautiful Beaujolais area of France, which is just north of Lyon! French law says that this great young wine has to hit the shelves on November 3 at 12:01 a.m. Not only does this event mark the end of harvest season, but it also leads to parties all over France and the world.
Since the early 1800s, Beaujolais has praised the planting of grapes for red wine. But starting in the 1950s, this tradition spread beyond where it came from. As part of a smart marketing plan to make red wine more popular, local winemakers held a contest to see which cafés and restaurants in Paris would accept wine bottles.
This idea caught on in the 1970s thanks to the leadership of visionary winemaker Georges Duboeuf, who worked hard to raise the standing of young wine. To make things even more exciting, he put up flags that said “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” which means “The Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived!” As the number of people who took part grew, the event became famous around the world. By 1985, it was well-known in Europe, and by 1990, it had spread to North America. This made “Beaujolais Nouveau Day” a custom all over the world!
When should Beaujolais Nouveau be consumed?
Each fall, shortly after harvest, fresh and fruit-forward Beaujolais nouveau is released. Intended for immediate consumption, Beaujolais nouveau is a juicy number best served with a slight chill.
The French wine Beaujolais Nouveau is made from gamay grapes. This wine is a deep purple color and smells great, with sour cherry, raspberry, strawberry, grape, and banana notes. Beaujolais Nouveau has a light body that tastes like good-aged grape juice. It is tasty and pleasant. Due to the carbonic maceration method, this is the case. Because it tastes mostly of red fruits and berries, Beaujolais Nouveau is meant to be enjoyed right away, unlike tannic red wines that need to be stored.
Because it is young, it doesn’t have the depth of older wines. Instead, it shows its freshness more straightforwardly. Beaujolais Nouveau also doesn’t get better with age because it doesn’t have the tannins that other red varieties do. To fully enjoy this wine’s full taste and lively personality, you should drink it within a few months of its release. This is because the tannins help the wine age.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau 2023 good?
2023 Beaujolais Nouveau
This is a classic quality Beaujolais from an excellent producer, Philippe Deschamps. Produced from older vines and lower yields, meaning this vintage is a this is a seriously good Nouveau.
After a mild start to the year, 2023 saw the rise of the “new classic” type of vine growth, which starts early and thrives in the best circumstances. The best flowering conditions and lack of frost made early picking possible, starting around September 1. In this case, Nouveau may have been kept for about another month before it was bottled. As harvest time got closer, though, the weather, especially the unusual lack of rain, became the main topic of conversation among Beaujolais vignerons.
It was common for farmers and winegrowers to talk about weather trends in 2023. A lack of rain was the biggest worry in the days before harvest. From mid-June until harvest, the southern crus were very dry. In July and August, the northern crus got some rain. Because of the long period of dry weather, the berries were smaller, which meant lower yields. This was most noticeable in southern Beaujolais and mostly affected young plants. Producers say that their wines are “not too warm,” and they also stress that the dry conditions are good because they balance the heat of the day with the cool evenings, making wines with a nice mix of aromas.
A lot of people in Beaujolais, France, which is about 30 kilometers northeast of Lyon, celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day. The much-anticipated Beaujolais nouveau wine finally comes out on the third Thursday of November. Beaujolais Nouveau Day started as a celebration of the grape crop, but it has grown into a lively event honoring the people, traditions, and history of the area.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day is celebrated all over the area with a wide range of events, such as spectacular fireworks, musical performances, and delicious feasts. Over 120 festivals are being held to honor this important event in history, and the whole area is buzzing with excitement.
One of the most famous festivals is Les Sarmentelles de Beaujeu, which takes place in the capital of the area. This famous event lasts for five days and has a huge range of wine, delicious food, and musical entertainment. An official tasting of 12 Beaujolais Nouveau wines is one of the best parts of the event, and a winner is chosen every year. On the night before the wine comes out, there is a parade with torches, and at midnight, fireworks mark the start of the newest Beaujolais Nouveau crop.