Beaujolais Nouveau Day

The story

Beaujolais nouveau is a young red wine from the Beaujolais region, just north of Lyon in France. It is made from Gamay grapes harvested only weeks earlier, using a fermentation method called carbonic maceration that produces a light, fruity wine with notes of cherry, banana, and red berries. It is meant to be drunk young and slightly chilled.

For generations, local winemakers celebrated the end of the harvest with this first wine of the year, poured in the bistros of Lyon. In 1951 French rules officially allowed it to be sold before the usual mid-December date, and in 1985 the release was fixed on the third Thursday of November. Under French law, the new wine goes on sale at 12:01 a.m. that day.

The slogan "Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!" turned the release into an international event in the 1970s and 1980s, as producers raced to deliver the first bottles to Paris, London, and later Tokyo and New York. Today cafés and wine bars across France host tastings, often with charcuterie, cheese, and music.

On Beaujolais Nouveau Day, raise a glass of the new vintage with friends and pair it with simple French bistro food.