What rhymes with Beaujolais Nouveau?
...and other important questions.
Product Marketing Manager for France. Lover of all things wine and food.
For some reason, I’ve spent the last 30 minutes trying to make the words “Beaujolais Nouveau” scan to the tune of “Hot to Go” by Chappell Roan…
Spelling out the letters in Beaujolais made it too long, and “N-o-u-v-e-a-u”…led me down a strange pronunciation rabbit hole – are we spelling out the letters in English or French? And how do you make it rhyme? (“chapeau” perhaps?)
Happily, a colleague got fed up of me muttering Frenchily to myself, and came to the rescue with:
I love Beaujolaaaais Nouveaauu, drink it in a large chateeaaaaauu!
Thank you Jess, now I can get on with writing the rest of the blog.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day happens but once a year on the third Thursday of November, which seems like an oddly specific point in the calendar. Like the vagaries of restaurant opening times in rural France (“sorry madam we’re not open today because it’s a Wednesday with a full moon and we haven’t seen any blackbirds yet this spring…”) So, I thought I’d take the opportunity to tackle this and a few other things you may have been pondering on the subject.
So, why the third Thursday in November?
The release date has moved a lot over the years. For a time in the 19th Century, winemakers from Beaujolais, keen to give consumers a “preview” of wine from the current vintage, put it into barrels bound for Lyon or Paris where it would finish fermentation en route! A risky strategy which later changed to them waiting for wines to be 100% finished and fermentation over before transport.
Then in the fifties, a national decree banned the sale of appellation wines before the 15th of December, which caused great uproar amongst the Beaujolais winemakers who were used to selling their wares before this time. After much protestation, it was agreed that they could release wines before this deadline, provided they include the word “new” on the label – and so “Beaujolais Nouveau” was born – just in time for the 1951 vintage. After a brief period when 15th November was chosen as the release date…it was finally, in 1985, that “the 3rd Thursday of November” was settled upon. So now you know….
Why do we say “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivée » ?
Franck Duboeuf carrying on the family tradition.
Legendary Beaujolais winemaker Georges Duboeuf did a lot to promote Beaujolais Nouveau around the world and is often credited with the phrase. He would throw memorable parties to celebrate the event – beginning with only a handful of guests and growing to nearly 800 by the 1990’s.
What’s the fastest it has “arrivéed” into the UK?
The Beaujolais Run began in 1970 as a bet between Joseph Berkmann (restauranteur and wine writer) and Clement Freud (politician and wine writer) to see who could get back to London first from Beaujolais with a car full of the Nouveau. More and more people got involved, excitement around the event grew more feverish and methods of transport grew more outlandish – I can’t help but imagine Wacky Racers at this point. The winning time was eventually made in the 80’s by an RAF Harrier jump jet of all things, who picked up the wine at midnight and landed back in London 32 minutes later. The Beaujolais Run still exists today as a somewhat less high octane, quite fancy charity event.
How to people mark the occasion around the world? 
In France, as you’d expect, it’s quite a bit deal – with days of festivals, fireworks and music. A spa in Japan holds an annual event where visitors can bathe in Beaujolais Nouveau whilst simultaneously drinking a glass of the stuff. But possibly most surprisingly, is that in Swansea “Beaujolais Day” has become almost as big as Christmas. Thousands of people from miles around head to the town, dressed up in their best, to enjoy a night of partying – and all because a local wine bar decided to put on a special event in the sixties. Just shows how these things can snowball!
How should I enjoy the Château de Belleverne, Beaujolais Nouveau 2025?
Excellent final question.
We suggest having it lightly chilled with a good plate of charcuterie including french saucisson, paté, cornichons etc…some soft cheeses and some good crunchy sourdough.
Or if that sounds like a little too much effort, a glass of this crunchy, red fruited wine and a generously filled, crispy bacon roll for lunch is an absolute dream.
Enjoy!
