France

Country: France  Region: Beaujolais Varietal: Gamay Vintage: 2019  Colour: Red  Style: Dry Producer: Georges Duboeuf What is Beaujolais Nouveau? Let’s start at the beginning. Beaujolais is a place; a wine region in France very close to Burgundy. Beaujolais Nouveau is a specific bottling that is released every year on the third Thursday of November. It is made from Gamay grapes, and it is meant as a celebration of the conclusion of that year’s harvest. There. Feel better now?   There’s a little more to it than that. Nouveau is a very specific style of wine made using carbonic maceration. Usually when wine is made, the grapes are crushed, and then the juice is made into wine. With carbonic, most of the fermenting (alcohol-making) actually takes place while the grape is intact. How neat is that!   Beaujolais Nouveau wines are very distinctive in this regard- their aromas are some of the most spirited you can inhale! Bubblegum, bananas, raspberries, a strawberry milkshake. A whiff of inexpensive, fruity perfume that might’ve been purchased at Claire’s or Forever 21. Don’t go in seeking complexity; It’s a one-note symphony. Just embrace it. Serve it slightly chilled and with people who lift your spirits.   The real fun behind drinking Nouveau on Nouveau Day is knowing that there are thousands of people doing the exact same thing all over the globe. The planet is celebrating winemaking. Does it get better than that?