It’s 12:01 a.m. on the third Thursday of November, and you know what that means…. It’s Beaujolais Nouveau Day!! Every year on this day and at this time, the producers of Beaujolais Nouveau simultaneously release the latest vintage, made from grapes harvested just 6-8 weeks prior. Shipments are then whisked off to wine distributors throughout the world for immediate release to consumers – lots of consumers. By the time the day is over, nearly 65 million bottles will be distributed and drunk around the world. In short, it’s the closest thing there currently is to an International Day of Wine.If you’re unfamilar with Beaujolais Nouveau, it’s a red wine made from the Gamay grape in the southernmost region of Burgundy. It’s made using a special process called carbonic maceration in which whole grape clusters are placed in a carbon-dioxide rich environment so that the juice actually begins to ferment while still inside the skin, eventually bursting the grape open. This somewhat violent fermentation process is what gives Beaujolais wines that almost effervescent, lively mouthfeel and also what makes Beaujolais Nouveau such a great wine to drink young. *
Though many consider Beaujolais Nouveau a simple or immature wine, such criticism mostly misses the point from my perspective. Of course Beaujolais Nouveau isn’t a serious or complex wine; it has never laid claim to being such. Rather, it is simply fun and easy-to-drink, especially on the third Thursday in November, when you know that millions of people around the world are doing exactly the same thing. Is this just brilliant marketing? Perhaps. But that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy it…
Cheers!!
* I haven’t had a chance to buy any Beaujolais Nouveau of my own yet, so I borrowed this image from wikipedia.
