Beaujolais Nouveau Launches 2007

The third Thursday of November means one thing in France: Beaujolais Nouveau. Celebrations begin at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday as the corks start popping on the new vintage and the early-drinking wine can be legally savoured.

What will the 2007 harvest bring? Anne Masson from Inter Beaujolais is quietly hopeful in spite of this year’s unseasonable weather. ‘We’re expecting an average harvest in terms of volume this year. We have had to be particularly vigilant due to the weather conditions although the dry and sunny September has been a last-minute helping hand.’

Beaujolais Nouveau is an ideal early-drinking or nouveau wine. It is produced from a single variety of grape, the Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, which is almost exclusively grown in the Beaujolais area and the wine has benefited from an accomplished marketing campaign.

Legislation dating from 1951 dictated that wines from the current year’s harvest could not be released before 15 December of the same year, however Beaujolais producers requested permission to sell their wines straight away as they were early-drinking wines. Permission was duly granted and after some confusion as to the exact release date, it was finally set at the third Thursday in November in 1985.

The advertising campaign with the slogan ‘It’s Beaujolais Nouveau time’ is now firmly established and in its third year and Beaujolais wine makers are focussing their attentions elsewhere. ‘The future of Beaujolais Nouveau lies in maintaining our market share in France, having a strong presence in Japan and entering the emerging markets of the east and Asia,’ Anne explains.

And as for its enduring appeal? ‘Two things combine to make a good Beaujolais Nouveau: a fruity character and the fact that it symbolises friendship, sharing and a good party!’