
How long does Beaujolais nouveau wine last?
(For comparison, standard Beaujolais AOC wines are released the following year and can be stored for one or more years before consuming.) The nouveau wines show definite variation between vintages, and as such are considered to be an early indicator of the quality of the year's regional wine harvest.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau tannin free?
Beaujolais nouveau is a purple-pink wine reflecting its youth, bottled only 6–8 weeks after harvest. The method of production means that there is very little tannin, and the wine can be dominated by such fruity ester flavours as banana, grape, strawberry, fig and pear drop.
Why is Beaujolais Nouveau so popular?
The resulting wine is fresh, fruity, and very low in tannins. Part of the success of Beaujolais Nouveau is due to the Gamay grape - it can easily make this very straightforward wine and make more complex wines. Most other red wine grapes would not easily make nouveau-style wines."
What temperature should Beaujolais Villages Nouveau be chilled?
The wine is recommended to be slightly chilled to 13 °C (55 °F). Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau tends to be a bit more purple, a bit richer, and have a bit more intense fruity flavors.

Does Beaujolais expire?
Regular Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages (not Nouveau) should be consumed within 2 years of the vintage date on the bottle. Cru Beaujolais (we'll get to that in a hot minute) is usually safe up to 3 years, but some can even last to 10 years depending on the vintage.
Can you drink year old Beaujolais Nouveau?
Given that Beaujolais is light and fruit-driven, most wines are best consumed within the first year or two of bottling (apart from Beaujolais Nouveau, which should be consumed as soon as possible). The best cru Beaujolais, however, is capable of aging for up to 10 years.
Does Beaujolais Nouveau need to be refrigerated?
Drink Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Chilled and Fresh This juicy, light-bodied red is best served chilled, at about 55°F (13°C). At this temperature, the fruity notes burst onto your palate, leaving it buzzing and refreshed. To get Beaujolais nouveau to temperature, place it in the fridge for 20 or so minutes before serving.
Can you keep Beaujolais?
The Beaujolais region produces excellent cellaring wines that can be stored for several years, in some cases more than ten.
What is special about Beaujolais Nouveau?
Beaujolais nouveau is intended for immediate drinking. It has been described as “wine of this vintage, fresh as the memory of harvest and raw as the experience of the year, unpolished by time, a reflection of the emotion of the moment.” In this same spirit, nouveau is intended to be consumed within a few months.
What is the difference between Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau?
Basic Beaujolais can come from anywhere within the Beaujolais region and blended into a single wine, which accounts for 56% of the total production of the region. Beaujolais Nouveau accounts for a significant percentage of Beaujolais production and must be fermented quickly and released the same year as the vintage.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau a good wine?
The wines produced were low in alcohol and tannins compared to other vintages like 2015 and 2020. However, Inter Beaujolais - a French wine council, praised the Beaujolais Nouveau 2021 wines for their exceptional quality and fruity, tender character.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau any good?
2021 Dominique Piron, Beaujolais Villages Nouveau Wide, great energy, the acidity well-covered. A balanced wine with some vibrant finishing energy too – a great finish. That's very good!
Is Beaujolais Nouveau sweet or dry?
This wine is best within two to three months after being bottled. Beaujolais Nouveau is sweet and simple. It's considered the "Shirley Temple" of wine. Beaujolais can be high in alcohol because of chaptalization, which is the addition of sugar to bring body and warmth to the grapes.
What is the best year for Beaujolais?
2019 is probably the most consistently exciting vintage for Beaujolais since 1976, although we still have a soft spot for 2015. These wines have the classic lively acidity and vibrant aromas of the region's reds from the indigenous gamay grape with lots of floral, spice and licorice notes.
Why is Beaujolais served cold?
Using the varietal Gamay, the wines of Beaujolais should be slightly chilled and served just below room temperature in order to accentuate the refreshing fruit notes that are naturally present. These wines are intended to be approachable, unpretentious, easy drinking, and fun.
Is Beaujolais the same as Pinot Noir?
Gamay, found most notably in Beaujolais, is a light-bodied red wine that's similar in taste to Pinot Noir. In fact, this variety is a cousin of Pinot Noir and it grows primarily next to Burgundy, France (Pinot motherland) in a region called Beaujolais.
What is the best year for Beaujolais?
2019 is probably the most consistently exciting vintage for Beaujolais since 1976, although we still have a soft spot for 2015. These wines have the classic lively acidity and vibrant aromas of the region's reds from the indigenous gamay grape with lots of floral, spice and licorice notes.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau a good wine?
The wines produced were low in alcohol and tannins compared to other vintages like 2015 and 2020. However, Inter Beaujolais - a French wine council, praised the Beaujolais Nouveau 2021 wines for their exceptional quality and fruity, tender character.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau still a thing?
That new vintages are released each year on France's celebratory Beaujolais Nouveau Day, which just so happens to fall right before Thanksgiving, only adds to its stateside appeal. In recent years, however, U.S. sales have sharply declined.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau any good?
2021 Dominique Piron, Beaujolais Villages Nouveau Wide, great energy, the acidity well-covered. A balanced wine with some vibrant finishing energy too – a great finish. That's very good!
How long does Beaujolais Nouveau last?
If you’re lucky, you can even store a good and rare vintage for over 2 to 3 years.
How long can you keep a Beaujolais?
If you’re lucky, you can even store a good and rare vintage for over 2 to 3 years.
What is nouveau wine?
A nouveau (English: /nuːˈvoʊ/ French pronunciation: [nuvo]), or vin (de) primeur, is a wine which may be sold in the same year in which it was harvested. … Nouveau wines are characteristically fruity and may have some residual sugar. They are at their peak drinkability within the first year.
How do you serve Beaujolais Nouveau?
Serve Beaujolais Nouveau slightly cool, at about 55 degrees Fahrenheit-the wine is more refreshing and its forward fruit more apparent than if you serve it at room temperature .
Why is Beaujolais Nouveau celebrated?
Thursday November 21 is Beaujolais Nouveau Day in France, a time to celebrate new French wine, fresh from the harvest. After a downturn, Beaujolais wine is undergoing a resurgence (in a new guise).
What temperature do you serve Beaujolais?
The ideal temperature range for Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages reds is 13°C to 14°C on average. Beaujolais crus are best drunk at between 15°C and 17°C, especially for the well structured crus like Moulin-à-Vent, Morgon, Juliénas and Chénas; 17°C is recommended for wines over 3 years old.
Is 2019 a good year for Beaujolais Nouveau?
“It has a nice vivacity,” Franck explains, “with good acidity, and a very pleasant aftertaste.”Nov 21, 2019
How long does Beaujolais Nouveau last?
Beaujolais Nouveau should be consumed within 6 months of being bottled. Why you ask? Well, as mentioned previously, Beaujolais Nouveau tends to be lacking in tannins, and tannins give a wine the ability to age well. No tannins = less graceful aging.
How long is Beaujolais good for?
Regular Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages (not Nouveau) should be consumed within 2 years of the vintage date on the bottle. Cru Beaujolais (we’ll get to that in a hot minute) is usually safe up to 3 years, but some can even last to 10 years depending on the vintage.
What is Beaujolais wine made of?
Beaujolais [Boe-zjoh-lay] is a red wine made from a grape called Gamay. Yup! That’s where we already hit our first hurdle! There is no Beaujolais grape, contrary to what most people assume Beaujolais to be made from.
Why is Beaujolais declining?
Beaujolais has always been given a tough time by its critics… mainly because it’s an easy target! French wine critic François Mauss was famously quoted as saying the reason for declining Beaujolais sales, was due to the poor overall quality of Beaujolais Nouveaux, using the term vin de merde (sh*t wine).
When is Beaujolais Nouveau ready to drink?
The wine is normally ready to be poured down your kitchen sink…<ahem> I’m sorry! Did I say that out loud!?!? I don’t know what came over me!?!? Where were we?… In the case of Beaujolais Nouveau, the wine is “ready to drink” within 2 months of starting fermentation, (usually released on the 3rd Thursday in November every year).
How long does it take for grapes to ferment?
Fermentation produces carbon dioxide, which in turn makes the enzymes in the grapes essentially attack itself and breaks the grape down further. This process is allowed to continue for 5-15 days and produces only about 3% alcohol in the wine.
Is carbonic maceration used in Beaujolais wine?
Carbonic maceration isn’t strictly reserved for the production of Beaujolais wine, but it also isn’t used too widely around the world. Now, don’t get scared! I know carbonic maceration sounds all “wine sciencey and nerdy”…but…well…yeah, it’s VERY wine sciencey and nerdy, but a basic understanding of the process is critical to understanding ...
How long can you keep Beaujolais Nouveau?
While nouveau could be kept for a few years, there is no real reason to, as it does not improve with age. (For comparison, standard Beaujolais AOC wines are released the following year and can be stored for one or more years before consuming.) The nouveau wines show definite variation between vintages, and as such are considered to be an early indicator of the quality of the year's regional wine harvest.
When did Beaujolais Nouveau come out?
These rules were relaxed in November 1951, and the Union Interprofessionnelle des Vins du Beaujolais (UIVB) formally set 15 November as the release date for what would henceforth be known as Beaujolais nouveau.
What is Beaujolais Day?
This "Beaujolais Day" is accompanied by publicity events and heavy advertising. The traditional slogan, even in English-speaking countries, was " Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé! " (literally, "The new Beaujolais has arrived!"), but in 2005 this was changed to "It's Beaujolais Nouveau Time!". In the United States, it is promoted as a drink for Thanksgiving, which always falls exactly one week after the wine is released (on the fourth Thursday of November).
What grapes are used in Beaujolais Nouveau?
Part of the success of Beaujolais Nouveau is due to the Gamay grape - it can easily make this very straightforward wine and make more complex wines. Most other red wine grapes would not easily make nouveau-style wines.".
What grapes are used in Nouveau wine?
In the United States, a number of vintners have produced Nouveau-style wines, using various grapes such as Gamay, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Pinot noir, and even Riesling. There is also movement in the US of making nouveau wines in homage of the French Glou Glou wine movement and in homage of Beaujolais nouveau.
Where do Beaujolais grapes come from?
The grapes come from the southern part of the Beaujolais AOC, grown in "stony, schistous soils" just north of Lyon. Both Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau are produced; the latter comes from the ~ 30 non-cru villages in the northern part of the region, and grapes from the ten Beaujolais "cru" villages / appellations are excluded.
What is the best temperature to drink Nouveau?
The wine is recommended to be slightly chilled to 13 °C (55 °F).
How long after Beaujolais is it good to drink?
Modern times have improved that record a bit, but it's generally a good idea to drink Nouveau within a few months (if at all, he adds snidely), and regular Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages within a year or two after the vintage.
When is Nouveau Beaujolais?
Indeed, the annually promoted Nouveau Beaujolais, which will hit the news as usual when it arrives in November, is one of the most short-lived wines on Earth: The old conventional wisdom was that you bought it in late November and drank it up before New Year's.
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What is the exception to Beaujolais?
But as with every rule, you'll find an occasional standout exception. In the case of Beaujolais, the exception comes in the region's "Cru" wines, those made from the vineyards around 10 specific villages so highly regarded that their wines are labeled with the village names rather than the generic "Beaujolais." Here's your shopping list: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent, Régnié and Saint-Amour.
Is Beaujolais a good wine for aging?
Beaujolais is a classic case of a wine not meant for aging. But as with every rule, there's an occasional standout exception.
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What is Beaujolais Nouveau?
Beaujolais nouveau represents the earliest and youngest style of wine produced in the Beaujolais subregion of Burgundy, but the wine produces several other styles and quality levels for those interested in experiencing the nuance of the Gamay grape.
When did Beaujolais Nouveau wine come out?
As a region, Beaujolais has always produced a young, vibrant wine to celebrate the culmination of harvest, though up until World War II, it was only available locally in Beaujolais. Originally only allowed to be sold after December 15, the release date rules were changed by the Union Interprofessionnelle des Vins du Beaujolais (UIVB) in 1951 to officially name this annually-produced style “Beaujolais nouveau” and to advance the date of release to November 15. Wineries began to compete to market their wines as the first release of the vintage and raced to get their bottles on store shelves first. The wine producers noticed the French consumer’s somewhat cult-like search to find and consume the first Beaujolais nouveau and realized this early release gave them quick and reliable cash to age the traditionally-styled wines and to move some of their more entry-level fruit. By the 1970s this annual competition to sell the first bottles of the new vintage gained media and marketing attention, and by the 1980s, Beaujolais nouveau enthusiasm spread to Europe. In order to capitalize on this increased exposure, Beaujolais amended the rules yet again to reflect a new, current release date of the third Thursday in November to capture large weekend sales. By the end of the 1980s the phenomenon finally reached the Americas and by the early 1990s, the love of Beaujolais nouveau eventually swept to Asia.
What is the wine that is made in Beaujolais?
Though Beaujolais is considered part of the overall Burgundy region of France, this AOC observes slightly different rules and traditions than the rest of Burgundy. Namely, the region produces red wines based on the Gamay grape and employs a wine production method called carbonic maceration. In carbonic maceration, whole grapes are left uncrushed and put into sealed containers away from oxygen and allowed to spontaneously ferment. The grapes themselves begin to ferment from the inside out, releasing their juice and naturally-occurring carbon dioxide which protects the fermenting wine from oxidation. Consequently, the flavors produced in wine made using this method are distinct and usually involve an element of juicy, fruit-forward grapiness that may on occasion verge on bubble-gum or grape flavored candy.
What is the wine called that is released on the third Thursday of November?
The third Thursday in November, called “Beaujolais Day,” marks the release of the first wine of the year’s vintage. This red wine, called Beaujolais nouveau, is produced in the French sub-region of Burgundy called Beaujolais from the Gamay grape. Although Beaujolais as a region produces several examples of traditionally-produced wines ...
When is Beaujolais Day?
The third Thursday in November, called “Beaujolais Day,” marks the release of the first wine of the year’s vintage.
Who owns Beaujolais Villages Nouveau?
Henry Fessy Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau. A property owned and represented by the Louis Latour domaine of Burgundy, Henri Fessy is most known for its production of high-quality Cru and Villages level wines, making the bones of this nouveau style simply stunning.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau a father son?
This father-son team is a rarity in Beaujolais as they source only from vineyard sites that they own, making this Beaujolais nouveau an estate production. The vineyards are sustainably farmed and are located at one of the highest altitude areas of Beaujolais, giving these wines nuance, complexity, and minerality alongside the juicy, almost effervescent profile.
