A tongue-in-cheek article about the celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau for which the client asked for a hint of sarcasm.

1. Beaujolais Nouveau
Beaujolais Nouveau is a wine made from the Gamay grape variety using a very short
fermentation process which does not use the bitter tannins from the grape skins and it is
then released at midnight on the third Thursday of November to great fanfare. It should be
drunk while it is young and slightly chilled. It doesn’t benefit from ageing but it is a good
early indicator of the quality of the year’s vintage.
The release of the first Beaujolais was a local tradition for many years to celebrate the end
of the harvest and an excuse for the French to get drunk, not that they’ve ever needed
much excuse! There are around 120 separate festivals held and in one of them they begin
celebrating in the early evening until the new wine is released at midnight which they then
drink until dawn! That’s my kind of party.
It is only in relatively recent times that this extreme vin ordinaire has been inflicted on the
rest of the world and is the result of genius marketing and the competitive nature of some
foolish wealthy people. Some sceptics might say that it is a great way to sell lots of ordinary
wine, around 35 million bottles, for a good profit
The race to get the first Beaujolais Nouveau of the year began in Paris but, by the 1970s,
had spread to many countries throughout the world. In the UK it has also become a regional
event with local bars and restaurants competing to be the first in the area to serve the new
wine and the Beaujolais Breakfast is now a ‘must do’ in the social calendar and as good an
excuse as any for a day off work.
Many establishments also host French themed fancy dress parties so, if you are not a wine
snob, dress up and drink this young fruity wine with some good friends as the whole point
of the day is to have some relaxed fun.
The wine is now generally shipped abroad in early November and released to the local
market on Beaujolais Day which could be perceived as cheating but does prevent an influx
of foreigners into a civilised region of France!
Other countries such as Spain, Italy and the USA produce nouveau style wines and have
their own celebrations. However, they can’t quite live up to the original and the biggest
wine party of them all.