Production
Released each year on the 3rd Thursday of November, Nouveau is the first wine of the vintage. The style is thought to date back to the nineteenth century when winemakers would ferment their wines in casks while en route to Lyon to celebrate the harvest. Although it is made quickly – it takes about twenty-five days from harvest to bottling – Beaujolais Nouveau is neither a cheap nor an easy wine to produce. Grapes are predominantly hand picked because whole bunches are required for carbonic maceration. Thanks to the incredibly short time between harvesting the grapes and drinking the wine, there is no opportunity for complex secondary or tertiary flavours to develop and therefore the grapes must be of top quality because they are pretty much all that you taste. As a result, many top Beaujolais producers see Nouveau as the purest reflection of their terroir.
Tasting notes
Bright and crunchy red fruits, fresh acidity, and gentle tannins. Light but not inconsequential, this is the perfect vin de soif for any occasion.
Food match
Charcuterie, a ploughman's, bangers and mash, roast pork or duck, grilled tuna, vegetarian moussaka... the list just keeps going. As great at a party as it is with your favourite box set on a rainy evening.
