Beaujolais Nouveau Vs Cru Beaujolais
Beaujolais had always made a vin de l'année to celebrate the end of the harvest, but until after WWII it was only for local consumption. Once the Beaujolais AOC was established in 1937, AOC rules meant that Beaujolais wine could only be officially sold after the 15th December in the year of harvest. These rules were relaxed on 13th
November 1951, and the Union Interprofessionnelle des Vins du Beaujolais (UIVB) formally set the 15 November as the release date for what would henceforth be known as Beaujolais Nouveau.
A few members of the UIVB, notably the negociant Georges Duboeuf, saw the potential for marketing Beaujolais Nouveau. Not only was it a way to clear lots of vin ordinaire at a good profit, but selling wine within weeks of the harvest was great for cash flow. Hence the idea was born of a race to Paris carrying the first bottles of the new vintage. This attracted a lot of media coverage, and by the 1970's had become a national event. The races spread to neighboring countries in Europe in the 1980's, followed by North America, and in the 1990's to Asia. In 1985, the date was changed to the third Thursday in November in 1985 to take best advantage of marketing in the following weekend.
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 falls a week after the wine is released.
Duboeuf remains the biggest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau; unlike the "flower" labels of his other wines, his Nouveau features a colorful abstract design that changes every year. Not only was it a way to clear lots of vin ordinaire at a good profit, but selling wine within weeks of the harvest was great for cash flow.
My thoughts:
Now I don't know about you, but that's not how I choose a wine to drink. It's not the cash flow idea I have trouble with, it's the "way to clear lots of vin ordinaire" part that I have a problem
with.
A Few Facts About Beaujolais Nouveau;
1) Beaujolais [BOE-zjoh-lay] Nouveau is always released the third Thursday of November, regardless of the start of the harvest.
2) The region of Beaujolais is 34 miles long from north to south and 7 to 9 miles wide. There are nearly 4,000 grape growers who make their living in this picturesque region just north of France's third largest city, Lyon.
3) All the grapes in the Beaujolais region must be picked by hand. These are the only vineyards, along with Champagne, where hand harvesting is mandatory.
4) Gamay (Gamay Noir Jus Blanc) is the only grape permitted for Beaujolais. While certain California wineries may label their wine "Gamay Beaujolais" this is not the same grape variety as what is grown in France, and is quite different in taste and growing habits.
5) Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be made from grapes grown in the 10 crus (great growths) of Beaujolais-only from grapes coming from the appellations of Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages. "Beaujolais [BOE-zjoh-lay] Nouveau is always released the third Thursday of November, regardless of the start of the harvest. "We think that's putting the cart before the horse."
Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be made from grapes grown in the 10 crus (great growths) of Beaujolais-only from grapes coming from the appellations of Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages. So legally you can't use grapes or juice from the best villages in the apellation. So………. "garbage in garbage out".
It's Dog Turds & Apple Pie and I ain't gonna have it!
Why celebrate bad wine?
In the beginning of November in the wine business, the reps start to come around with their pre-sale Beaujolais Nouveau offerings. So what's a guy to do? Well, do not Buy it or Drink it!
Aw, come on? Why am I being so hard on Beaujolais Nouveau? It's just for fun, they say. That's crap. It's just marketing. If it was just for fun, it'd be $3 a bottle. But most are pushing $10 to $15 and up these days.
Insider info on the Beaujolais Nouveau - It's just a Hallmark holiday, as appetizing a concept as CheezWhiz, and one of those only when in France things. Retailers have to buy the wine without tasting it. Some retailers PRE-BUY 100's of cases of this wine that drops on your doorstep a week before Thanksgiving and basically turns into an ugly stepsister the day after Christmas. Beaujolais Nouveau doesn't live long, even if it's completed fermentation before bottling. Many come with a scummy residue. Most distributors are REQUIRED to purchase a certain amount of a winery's Beaujolais Nouveau. So what do you think they're going to say? "Of course it's delicious. Of course it's fun. Of course everyone likes it. I won't name names, but in a local distributor’s closeout catalogs, they have 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 Beaujolais Nouveau vintages (if that is what you want to call them) listed for sale. I feel sorry for the sucker who buys these. DON’T!!!!
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