Beaujolais Nouveau Day began in 1951 to celebrate the first bottles from the vintage to consumers around the world.Inter-Beaujolais/Supplied
Beaujolais Nouveau Day, celebrated on the third Thursday of November at midnight, started in 1951 as an end of harvest party for growers and winemakers in the French region spread to the bistros of Paris and other parts of the country.
In the 1980s and 1990s, winemaker Georges Duboeuf successfully turned it into a global celebration of the lighthearted local wines made from gamay grapes. International media would cover the race to get the first bottles from the vintage to consumers around the world. Participating wine shops and restaurants would trumpet: “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” Parties continue today with music, fireworks and feasts prepared in France and major markets including Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
But among Canadian consumers, interest in the simple pleasures of Beaujolais Nouveau has fizzled. Though the wine’s seasonal selection was one of the LCBO’s fastest-selling products around ten years ago (according to their press release from 2013), rising costs and slumping sales saw liquor boards in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia turn their attention away.
Three years ago, liquor stores across Canada declined to throw the annual November party for Beaujolais Nouveau. And this year, the only website advertising a release of 2024 Nouveau wines is for the BC Liquor Distribution Branch.
In the absence of the Nouveau fanfare, the category could use some brushing up. Beaujolais, Beaujolais Village and the fine, age-worthy cru wines of Beaujolais, such as Morgon and Moulin-a-Vent, are bountiful in the Quebec market, but the range in Ontario, Nova Scotia and elsewhere is dominated by large brands, such as Duboeuf, Louis Jadot (Chateau des Jacques) and Mommessin.
Inter-Beaujolais reports that the early released wines continue to represent one-third of the region’s production, which equates to nearly 55 million bottles annually. In 1988, Beaujolais Nouveau was responsible for 60 per cent of the annual output.
Winemakers employ different fermentation techniques, notably carbonic maceration, which results in fruity wines with low tannins that are ready-to-drink six to eight weeks after the grapes are harvested. Carbonic maceration can result in wines with characteristic banana and bubble gum (to my taste, Big League Chew shredded gum) aromas, which defined the cheap and cheerful reputation of Beaujolais Nouveau in its heyday.
But there’s a new breed of Beaujolais Nouveau coming from smaller estates and artisan producers as well as the staples from the major players that promise to keep the style from falling into oblivion.