Have a favorite quote to share?  Click here.

Its November, Have You Had Your Beaujolais Nouveau Yet?

Its November: Colorful signs are declaring “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!”, "The New Beaujolais has arrived!"  The mad Beaujolais Nouveau scramble is on while many critics scornfully tut-tut from the sidelines.  What is the Beaujolais Nouveau, and what’s the big fuss about it in November?

First the basics:  Beaujolais nouveau is a red wine produced in the Beaujolais region of France.  What makes is different is the rituals behind its production and marketing.

By racing through an accelerated harvest, fermentation and bottling processes, the Beaujolais nouveau is made ready to be drunk just 6-8 weeks after the harvest.  This speedy production results in a very light-weight red.  There’s no time for the red grape skins to impart tannin into the wine so what’s left is a dominance of light, fruity flavors which are enhanced by the frequent recommendation to serve the wine lightly chilled, at approximately 55°F (13°C). 

The Beaujolais region has always produced this wine to celebrate the end of the harvest.  Thus its heritage is a light, easy to drink and festive wine.  As one reviewer put it, its “wine to be gulped rather than sipped, enjoyed in high spirits rather than critiqued”.  Beaujolais Nouveau is also meant to be drunk very young.  It will decline in quality after 6 months. 

What started as a quickly-produced and local wine to celebrate the end of the harvest turned into a global race to see who can open the first bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau.  Thank Georges Duboeuf and the power of marketing for this transition!

Duboeuf is a négociant (a wine producer and shipper who owns few if any vineyards; instead, they chose to  purchase grapes or unfinished wines from small producera).  Duboeuf has over 400 suppliers.  He then ages, bottles, and sells under his own label.  He is the biggest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau and thus he is a tireless promoter of Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau. 

Duboeuf drummed up the marketing hype of who would be the first to open the bottles of the new vintage. It attracted a lot of media coverage, and by the 1970's had become a national event. The races spread to neighboring countries in Europe in the 1980's, followed by North America, and in the 1990's to Asia.  From Duboeuf’s perspective, not only was this a way to clear lots of wine at a good profit, but selling wine within weeks of the harvest was great for cash flow.  In 1985, the date was changed to the third Thursday in November to take best advantage of marketing in the following weekend. The heavy promotion and advertising continue today, especially in the US for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons.

Critics desperately try not to be swayed by the marketing engine and they try not to compliment Beaujolais Nouveau much.  Truth is that as light, acidic wines, they don't stand much of a chance against the richer, plusher wines.  Fans respond that that’s exactly the point.  The wines are relatively simple, light and fruity, and are great for festive occasions.  The wine is also favored by many who like white wines but haven’t made the leap to heavier and more complex reds like merlots or cabernets. 

A glut of supply in recent years has also helped ensure that the price of a Beaujolais Nouveau is relatively low, $8-12 per bottle in many cases.  The Duboeuf brand is, of course, the largest and most widely available brand in the US.  The labels on his bottles feature a colorful abstract design that changes every year.  Keep in mind an analogous model however.  Budweiser is the largest and most widely available brand in the US beer market today, but that doesn’t mean that it should be regarded as what all beer it like!  Those who are fans of Beaujolais Nouveau will often say that the widely available Duboeuf bottles are no where near the best of the options out there.

One last note: don’t confuse Beaujolais Nouveau with other Beaujolais wines.  The region produces other wines which age normally and which don’t need to be drunk within 6 months of their production.  A backlash of all the Nouveau marketing hype is that many individuals now incorrectly think of all Beaujolais as being just November and December wines.