It’s Beaujolais Nouveau Day, Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Words: Hannah Lemass
Every year on the third Thursday in November, we welcome into the world a very special little baby. Yes, it’s Beaujolais Nouveau day—a celebration of the cutest little new born wine on the planet.
In a world where we celebrate aged, vintage wines, this is the one time of year when we all come together to celebrate the newbie. Beaujolais is a red wine from the Beaujolais region of France, made using Gamay grapes. Today marks the release of the nouveau. In French law the wine is released at 12:01am on the third Thursday of November just weeks after the grapes are harvested. Barrels are rolled through the streets from the winery to take pride of place in local shops. The day is celebrated worldwide with tastings and festivities in the little tyke’s honour.
Why do we celebrate
You might think it seems a little odd and silly to go so feral over a little wine. And yes, you’d be right. But it really is something special. It goes against the grain of snobby wine culture to celebrate the simple things.
We’ve been conditioned to search for complexity and the influence of ageing on our wines. But Beaujolais Nouveau isn’t trying too hard. In fact, it’s not trying at all. It’s barely even fermented, hitting the shelves on Beaujolais Nouveau Day after approximately just six weeks.
The wine itself is made using a technique called carbonic maceration, where whole grape clusters are left to ferment in a carbon dioxide-rich environment. This technique, along with the quick harvest-to-release turnaround, gives this wine a light, fruity, straight-off-the-vine flavour.
Beaujolais is the lifeblood of the local economy. Approximately 400 farmers work to produces the grapes for Beaujolais. Its hugely successful and became known around the world in the 1970s and 1980s. An amazing achieving for a relatively small region. It is now exported to over 110 countries notably Japan, the U.K., the U.S. and of course, Ireland.
How to get your hands on it
Lillith Wines is hosting their annual Beaujolais party at Hynes Bar in Stoneybatter. They will have selections from six of their producers at €8 a glass. Your first glass is free—get your ticket on Eventbrite.
There are lots of other places where you can try it. Pop into The Wine Pair, Loose Canon, or Two Faced for a taste by the glass. Or to pick up a bottle to enjoy in the comfort of your own maison, check out Green Man Wines, The Corkscrew, or Baggot Street Wines.
Make this an elegant Thirsty Thursday with a fresh little bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau.
