Beaujolais Nouveau Day
Beaujolais Nouveau is a Vin de Primeur or, put simply, a new wine. It is made in the Beaujolais region of France from the Gamay Noir grape and released annually on the third Thursday of November. Traditionally, Beaujolais Nouveau was just a simple wine to drink at post harvest celebrations. As Beaujolais Nouveau became more popular, producers began to race to get their wines to markets around the world. This eventually led to Beaujolais Nouveau being one of the most anticipated wine releases in the market. It is also one of the few wines allowed by French law to be sold during the year of harvest!

In most cases, wines made using traditional fermentation techniques would be unpalatable when drunk only a couple months after harvest.  But Beaujolais Nouveau uses a special type of fermentation called carbonic maceration, which accentuates the grape's (Gamay Noir) fruity nature. In essence, the process involves placing the grapes in a closed fermenter. In this closed environment the grapes at the bottom are crushed by the weight of the grapes on top and undergo a natural fermentation, where as the juice of the grapes on top ferment inside the grapes. This process minimizes the extraction of tannins or bitterness that you would typically get from the skins. Thus, the end result is a light, fruity red wine.

Much of the success of the Beaujolais Nouveau is credited to the marketing efforts of Georges Duboeuf with his colourful, often floral adorned, labels. This style of label has been replicated by other producers of Beaujolais Nouveau and similar wines made around the world.

This year, we have three Beaujolais Nouveau’s arriving for sale on Thursday, November 18, 2010, at select NSLC stores. Click on any of the three Beaujolais Nouveau wines below to find out where you can pick up a bottle.

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau
Fougeres Beaujolais Nouveau
Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau