Every year, it's the same thing:on the third Thursday of November, the drink to sip is Beaujolais Nouveau. This is an opportunity to improvise an aperitif with friends and have a good time around the famous beverage. Above all, it is an opportunity to have fun playing the oenologist (“It has a little taste of banana, don’t you think?”) and to decide whether or not the new Beaujolais of the year is good. Here are 5 things you need to know about Beaujolais, so you can tell yourself a little about it...
In 1951, a decree published in the Official Journal proclaimed that wines with an appellation of origin could only be sold from December 15, which greatly displeased Beaujolais producers who wanted to sell their production earlier. They are thus authorized to sell their primeur wine from November 13, then, over time, the date was fixed for the third Thursday of November (to avoid that it is too close to November 11 or that the day falls on a weekend ). Beaujolais Nouveau was born!
Beaujolais Nouveau is an appellation that designates primeur wine (i.e. bottled just after fermentation) produced in the “Beaujolais zone”, between Mâcon and Lyon. It is found under two names:Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais Village Nouveau. In total, more than 2,000 winegrowers cultivate and produce these wines, so it is impossible to generalize about the taste of Beaujolais Nouveau 2016...
Because it comes out on a fixed date, one might think that Beaujolais Nouveau is an industrial wine, but not at all:it is produced in an artisanal way. It is also a rather complicated wine to produce because the release date is fixed, while that of the harvest is variable...
Contrary to what is sometimes believed, Beaujolais Nouveau is not a wine that should be consumed within days or weeks after purchase. Inevitably, it's super nice to drink it as soon as it comes out to taste it chilled, but it can be kept between 8 and 12 months, away from light and heat, like other wines. Besides, taking out a bottle of good Beaujolais Nouveau around a barbecue in the spring can have a small effect...
Celebrating Beaujolais Nouveau is not just a French tradition:in Asia, especially in Japan and South Korea, primeur wine is very popular. The Japanese are also the first in the world to be able to discover it since Beaujolais Nouveau is marketed from the 3rd Thursday of November at midnight... Due to the time difference, they can taste it before us!
There you go, you know everything. Well, we remind you, Beaujolais Nouveau is in moderation!
