Beaujolais Nouveau Equals Fall Fun

Beaujolais Nouveau is a delightful little piece of the wine world. Winemakers in the Beaujolais region of France originally released a part of their latest harvest of Gamay grape based wines that have fermented for only a few short weeks as a celebratory wine to mark the end of the grape harvest and as an indicator of the quality of the Beaujolais vintage. The end product is a very fruity fun wine with very little tannin. The French government mandates that no Beaujolais may be released before the third Thursday of November and that date has subsequently become one of the most anticipated by wine lovers around the world. The release date is also just in time for the start of the holiday season and has become a popular Thanksgiving wine in America.

Serve Chilled

The nouveau wine should be enjoyed within about six months from the release date and should be slightly chilled to around 55 degrees Fahrenheit before drinking. The fruitiness of the young wine makes it a good match for a wide spectrum of foods.

Fun Not Fancy

Some wine aficionados deplore the fruity nouveau release due to its lack of complexity but most wine drinkers enjoy it because of its simplicity and the less formal vibe it imparts during holiday get togethers. Conversations around the world in the fall and the early winter focus on how well the vintage will be received when the regular Beaujolais version is released.

Part of the fun of the nouveau releases are the whimsical autumn inspired labels the various producers put on the bottles since they change slightly each year. Some of the more popular Beaujolais nouveau producers are; Georges Duboeuf, Mommessin, Joseph Drouhin and J.P. Chenet.

Variations On A Theme

Due to the popularity of France’s nouveau releases, other countries are getting in on the act and Italy’s novello releases continue to gain notoriety. Italian winemakers can make their novellos from a choice of about 60 different grapes but Merlot is the most popular choice.

Wineries in the United States also produce some nouveau-style wines derived from different grapes like Zinfandel, Temperillo, Gamay, Pinot Noir and Riesling.

Though nouveau wines can be stored for a few years they don’t get any better with age due to their lack of tannins. If you’d like to sample a slightly more complex version of Beaujolais look for Beaujolais Villages that can be kept for a few years before consumption but, even the longer fermented versions tend to be more fruity and uncomplicated than many varietals.