Beaujolais Nouveau - France
Ref: Nouveau
Beaujolais Nouveau is created solely from the Gamay variety variety in the Beaujolais (AOC) region of France. Beaujolais Nouveau is authorised for immediate sale after fermentation. It is the most popular vin de primeur, a wine harvested in Autumn and sold before 1st January the following year.
Beaujolais Nouveau is produced by carbonic maceration followed by Pasteurisation, a process which bypasses malolactic fermentation. The wine is ready to be drunk just six weeks after the harvest. Each year the new Beaujolais is officially released on the 3rd Thursday of November and no time earlier, which has been mandated by French Law. Just after midnight a race begins to ship the wine out all around the world as quickly as possible.
To ease congestion at the Ports and the wineries the Beaujolais Nouveau is now released some 2 weeks earlier to wine merchants for shipping but retail sales are still regulated. This has lessened some of the fun of being the first to get the Nouveau back home to England but the wine nonetheless commands a place in our hearts and is a worthy drink in it's own right.
