This week in France it’s all about Beaujolais Nouveau (new Beaujolais). The official date was yesterday and I popped out to buy a bottle from our local supermarket.
Beaujolais Nouveau was a concept launched by Georges Duboeuf, one of the wine world’s most famous personalities.
Born in 1933 he became one of the most famous wine merchants in the region.
He left school at 18 and went back home to run the family wine estate with his brother and in 1964 created the negociant side (a negociant bottles and sells the wines of other people) of the business ‘Les Vins Georges Duboeuf’. He turned the wine industry on its head, returned to more traditional practices and was fastidious about cleanliness at bottling. He produced wines that were typical of the region working hand in hand with local growers.
He was a brilliant marketeer and the concept of releasing young wines each November was largely down to him. He organised parties and dinners, arranged for lorries to transport wine to other countries and in the 1980’s Beaujolais Nouveau day was a huge event. Every wine bar, hotel and restaurant clammered for the first bottles both in France and abroad.
To be honest, Beaujolais Nouveau is a moderately interesting wine, made quickly and released to market soon after its fermentation has finished. It’s often criticised for having aromas of boiled sweets and bananas but there are good examples to be found. It’s more about celebrating the end of harvest and welcoming in the first wines of the vintage year. It also happens to coincide closely with Thanksgiving which may explain why it’s often found on the table alongside the turkey!
Georges Duboeuf’s labels have always been striking. Colourful and bright they draw the eye to the most famous Beaujolais Nouveau.
It’s the Gamay grape that’s used. Light in body, high in acidity, fruity and fun. Don’t take it too seriously, just enjoy a glass and celebrate 2021!
Popularity for the wine has dwindled over the years. 740,000 bottles exported to the UK in 1999 down to just 100,000 in 2011.
Georges died in January 2020 and the business is now run by his son Franck. Today it buys the production of no less than 400 different growers and around 20 co-operatives in the region making more than 30 million bottles of wine a year.
And yes it IS a good match for turkey so… what are you waiting for?
