Video about Beaujolais Nouveau on my YouTube channel.
On the third Thursday of November, this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau was released to the market.
This is the first wine of the current harvest; all others still require significant time to mature before they’re ready for consumption. In France, England, Japan, and many other countries, the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau is a festive occasion marked by events and gatherings dedicated to this young wine.
Beaujolais Nouveau is an inexpensive, straightforward wine. It has little in common with the great, complex wines of the world, yet its name is widely recognized, even by those who are not wine enthusiasts. So, what makes Beaujolais Nouveau so special? There are three key points:
First, it’s the youngest wine, meant to be enjoyed immediately after production.
Second, its production process differs significantly from traditional winemaking techniques.
Third, its rise to global fame is a fascinating story of marketing and popularization, transforming an obscure local wine into an internationally celebrated phenomenon.
Let’s take it step by step.
Beaujolais is a small wine region in eastern France, situated between Burgundy and the Rhône Valley. While it is often considered a part of Burgundy, this classification doesn’t feel entirely accurate. Beaujolais differs from Burgundy not only in the primary grape variety used but also in its approach to winemaking.
The main grape of Beaujolais is Gamay, which is also the variety used to produce Beaujolais Nouveau. Although Gamay is grown in other regions—such as Burgundy, Switzerland, Croatia, and Serbia—it’s typically used in blends rather than as the dominant component. Wines made from Gamay are known for their light body and vibrant aroma of red fruits, the feature of Beaujolais Nouveau as well.
In Beaujolais, the situation is entirely different—here, Gamay reigns supreme. Moreover, local winemakers have taken an unconventional approach by driving yeast down to a secondary role in the winemaking process.
Typically, red wine production involves crushing grapes, adding yeast, and waiting for the yeast to convert glucose into ethanol and carbon dioxide. This process requires the presence of oxygen. However, for Beaujolais Nouveau, winemakers use another method known as carbonic maceration.
In this process, whole grape bunches with intact berries are placed into a sealed tank, which is then filled with carbon dioxide. Historically, the grapes themselves produced the carbon dioxide gradually, filling the tank over time. Today, winemakers speed up the process by introducing external carbon dioxide.
Inside each grape (and as a reminder, a grape is a plant cell), glucose naturally oxidizes into water and carbon dioxide in the presence of oxygen—a normal cellular process. However, when oxygen is replaced with carbon dioxide, the situation changes: the glucose begins to convert into ethanol and carbon dioxide inside the grape—without the assistance of yeast. Essentially, the berries start to ferment on their own.
Once this intracellular fermentation is complete, the grapes are crushed and pressed. Yeast is then added to finish the fermentation process, converting the remaining glucose into ethanol, as the natural intracellular process doesn’t convert all the sugar and doesn’t produce sufficient ethanol levels on its own.
The result is a very low level of tannin – since tannins are primarily extracted from crushed skins, and in this process, the juice has minimal contact with crushed skins. On other hand, the wine is rich in pigments, as pigments are easily extracted from intact skins during the warm fermentation process.
The outcome is a bright, smooth wine with a pronounced fruity flavor and unusual notes for a red wine—such as banana, caramel, and even bubble gum. These unique flavors are a hallmark of carbonic maceration and give Beaujolais Nouveau its distinct character. In a way, it’s like a vibrant, alcoholic fruit compote—fresh, fun, and easy to drink.
Other winemakers occasionally incorporate elements of carbonic maceration when they want to reduce the tannin levels in a wine and enhance its bright fruit flavors. In such cases, some intact grape bunches are added to the juice, allowing carbonic maceration to occur alongside conventional yeast fermentation. This hybrid approach, for example, is a traditional technique in Rioja.
Now, let’s return to Beaujolais Nouveau. Gamay, as a grape with naturally high acidity, yields wine that is also quite acidic. In fact, the acidity level is more reminiscent of white wines than red ones. Beaujolais Nouveau is often described as “refreshing,” which is essentially a nod to this high acidity.
Because the wine is light-bodied and highly acidic, it’s best enjoyed at the same temperature as dry white wines—between 11°C and 15°C (52°F to 59°F). That said, Beaujolais Nouveau’s simple flavor profile means it’s quite forgiving when it comes to temperature. This makes it an ideal choice for a picnic basket: you can start with the wine chilled and finish with it slightly warmer without offending your taste buds.
As mentioned earlier, Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine of the harvest. By law, it can only be released to the market at the stroke of midnight on the third Thursday of November in the harvest year. This means the wine is only about six weeks old when it becomes available. However, the same law dictates that it can only be sold until August 31 of the following year.
In the United States, though, retailers don’t always adhere to this rule. It’s not uncommon to find bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau from both the current and previous years sitting side by side on store shelves. While some Beaujolais Nouveau can retain its quality for couple years, the majority begin to deteriorate significantly after just one year—or even earlier. As a general rule, avoid buying last year’s Beaujolais Nouveau if it’s already September of the current year. In fact, I’d recommend limiting your enjoyment of this wine to the harvest season in the fall and the winter that follows. By spring, it’s best to forget about Beaujolais Nouveau until the next November.
Besides Beaujolais Nouveau, there’s also Beaujolais Primeur, which is made using the same method. However, this wine is only allowed to be sold until January 31 of the year following its harvest.
Originally, Beaujolais Nouveau was a wine meant for local consumption by vineyard and winery workers. After the harvest was gathered and the first wine had settled, it was the perfect time to celebrate the end of the season with a simple, cheerful, and inexpensive young wine.
However, in the 1970s, the enterprising Georges Duboeuf saw an opportunity to expand its appeal. He began exporting Beaujolais Nouveau to England, promoting it as the taste of the first wine of the season. The idea quickly gained traction, and Duboeuf later expanded his sales to Japan. What started as a small, local celebration soon transformed into an international wine phenomenon. Naturally, as its popularity grew, so did its price.
Speaking of Georges Duboeuf, pay attention to this name. A large proportion of the Beaujolais Nouveau imported to the United States is sold under his label.
Today, Beaujolais Nouveau bottles are easily recognizable thanks to their bright, playful labels, which change every year and contribute to the festive nature of the wine.
It’s worth noting that only half of the Gamay grapes grown in Beaujolais are used to produce Beaujolais Nouveau. The other half is used to make regular Beaujolais wine (without the “Nouveau”). Unlike its younger sibling, Beaujolais wine is made using standard winemaking techniques, though some elements of carbonic maceration are still used. This wine isn’t meant to be consumed immediately after production; it can age for several years and has a distinctly different taste profile from Beaujolais Nouveau. I will talk about this Beaujolais wine another time. Just keep in mind that they’re two separate styles, and it’s worth checking the label on the bottle to know which one you’re getting.
Interestingly, the concept of Nouveau-style wines has spread to other countries. Italy, the Czech Republic, and the United States now produce their own young wines using grapes like Gamay, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, and Pinot Noir. Despite this, Beaujolais Nouveau remains the leader in the market for super-young wines, continuing to dominate both in reputation and popularity.
Merry new harvest!
