Should I be drinking Beaujolais Nouveau?

Beaujolais Nouveau heydey — *What do hot-air balloons, elephants, and the Concorde have to do with Beaujolais Nouveau? Keep reading…*

Happy (almost) Beaujolais Nouveau Day!!

In case you haven’t been following, we've been taking you on a tour of one of our favorite regions.

It’s a French region you must know about if you want to find a wine that is perfect for every occasion and one that has been wooing the wine world with its extreme versatility and reliable deliciousness. That region is Beaujolais (say boh-joe-lay). Get up to speed on Beaujolais in Beaujolais 101 and How to Shop for Beaujolais.

We’ve been teaching a class on Beaujolais for our members for years and it is literally my favorite class to teach (well, the Badass Ladies of Champagne class is pretty badass, too—I think it’s a tie).

Mostly that’s because the story of Beaujolais—its rise, fall, and resurrection—is such an emotional rollercoaster, almost too ridiculous to be true, and very fun to tell. If you’re a member of Sunday School Wine Society you can find the complete story, along with our abridged illustrated comic version, here!

But for now, we’re going to talk about the glory days of Beaujolais, how this paved the way for its fall and (to put it bluntly) its subsequent shi*t reputation. And all of that has to do with Beaujolais Nouveau.

Alright, let’s get you acquainted with Beaujolais Nouveau—what it is, how you can enjoy it properly, and how it’s different from regular ol’ Beaujolais.

**First off, Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau are not the same thing.**

Beaujolais is the French region that produces red wine from Gamay (a grape). Beaujolais Nouveau is one particular style of Beaujolais.

Beaujolais Nouveau is a light-and-fruity version of Beaujolais (think: party wine)

Beaujolais Nouveau (which translates as ‘new Beaujolais’) started out as a humble celebration of each harvest. It was the first and freshest wine of the season, released on the third Thursday in November, the day of St. Martin.

*This year (2022) Beaujolais Nouveau Day falls on November 17.*

Given that the grapes in the Beaujolais Nouveau may only have been picked a month or so before the wine being released, this is a wine that has had no time to sit around macerating or relaxing in barrel for months on end as a regular Beaujolais would.

They make the wine quick, about as fast as you can make a wine, and they use a fancy method called carbonic maceration so it is fun, fresh and fruity. No one was expected to take it seriously, or think much about it beyond November.

**Beaujolais Nouveau gave Beaujolais a sh*t reputation**

Long story short, (for the complete story go here), a major marketing ploy in the 1970s got the best of Beaujolais Nouveau.

It was great at first. There were elephants, hot-air balloons, relay runners and the Concord involved (see the pic at the top of blog post), and even a guy named Georges Duboeuf. (Below is Franck Duboeuf, Georges’ son. You can think of them as one in the same—cut from the same cloth, if you will.)

*Franck Duboeuf and “his ladies” circa 2013*

You might have even seen these guys’ wines around town. They look like this ⬇️

Anyway, what started as a fun, celebratory wine for Beaujolais locals became a huge global phenomenon (in 1960, Beaujolais Nouveau accounted for 5% of all Beaujolais sold; by 1984 it was 54%).

But then it all went sour.

Producers let greed get the better of them. Quality went out the window, and Beaujolais Nouveau basically became a factory wine. The result was that the whole of Beaujolais (even the good stuff) was tainted and became the region known for producing a bad wine that was only drunk one month of the year.

By the late 1990s the Beaujolais region was in crisis—unsold wine was distilled into industrial alcohol and whole vineyards were left to rot as farmers tried to cut their losses.

Many thought this was the end of Beaujolais potential as a serious wine region.

Or was it*???

You can still drink Beaujolais Nouveau!

Aside from non-nouveau Beaujolais, which are always delicious (see here for more on Beaujolais as a general region), there is plenty of yummy Beaujolais Nouveau to be had.

You just have to know what you’re gonna get, as it’s a very light and low in tannin wine, sometimes to the point of almost seeming sweet. The fruit notes are often candied (meaning it’ll taste like fruit candy). Most of this has to do with a process they use to make it called carbonic maceration.

As long as you have this expectation in mind, Beaujolais Nouveau is great. Think of it as your party wine—because it is!

And finally, if you plan on going out and getting one (which you should), here are your three Beaujolais Nouveau shopping tips:

1) Find it at your local shop after the third Thursday in November.

The third Thursday in November is Beaujolais Nouveau’s official release date and wine distributors and retailers typically take great care that the wine is not available until then! This year (2022) that falls on November 17.

2) Drink within six months and drink it chilled

Don’t keep this wine around. Drink it asap. And definitely don’t let it linger for longer than six months. Beaujolais Nouveau doesn’t have to be refrigerated, but it definitely tastes better with a slight chill.

3) Use it for mulled wine and wine cocktails!!

Don’t love it? You can’t finish the whole bottle? You bought too many bottles and now you don’t know what to do with them all? Great news! Beaujolais Nouveau (with its fruity profile, high acid, and low tannin) makes a great mixing wine.

Try it as the base of mulled wine or winter sangria. Try it in red wine cocktails. Try out this recipe below ⬇️! (You can use any Gamay wine, but Beaujolais Nouveau will be extra bomb.com.)

Are you in love with Beaujolais Nouveau? Or not so much? Tell us all your deep, dark Beaujolais Nouveau secrets in the comments. :)

* It was not the end of Beaujolais Nouveau. A group of guys now called the Gang of Four basically saved the region from itself and kept Beaujolais alive and thriving. For regular Beaujolais info and shopping tips go here.