Beaujolais Nouveau Day celebrates the day when the harvest season’s new Beaujolais wine goes on sale in Paris. “The new Beaujolais has arrived!”
Beaujolais is a red wine made from Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais region of France. It is drunk young when first bottled.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day is the traditional day when the “new Beaujolais” reaches Paris from the region north of Lyon.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2023
Thursday, November 16, 2023.
The day is the third Thursday of November, so it’s always right before Thanksgiving.
Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé
“Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé” is the cry that goes out on Beaujolais Nouveau Day, the third Thursday in November.
The Beaujolais winemaking region of France is north of Lyon. Drinking Beaujolais is a celebration of the end of the harvest.
The tradition comes from the race to deliver the new wine to Paris. It seems like a publicity stunt, but the tradition actually grew organically. It started in the old Parisian central market Les Halles. The tradition then jumped to England, New York and the world.
Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
Beaujolais
Beaujolais Nouveau is bottled just 6 – 8 weeks after the harvest. This leaves very little time for tannins to develop so the wine has brighter fruit flavors.
The Beaujolais region is just south of Burgundy. Beaujolais produces more complex wines in the north and fruitier, lighter wines in the south.
Beaujolais Nouveau should be chilled slightly and drunk quickly because it does not improve with age. It is drunk in a Burgundy glass.
Brilliant!
Beaujolais Nouveau Day
The third Thursday of November is one week before the American Thanksgiving holiday. So Beaujolais is a great Thanksgiving wine!
Wow, we finally found a Latin connection to Thanksgiving.
Vive la France!