Why Beaujolais Nouveau is known as Thanksgiving Wine
Every year on the third Thursday of November, there's a huge international wine celebration: Beaujolais Nouveau Day!
You might have heard of Merlot day or Champagne day, but this one is not any other random holiday, Beaujolais Nouveau day is an international celebration and a global phenomenon every November to celebrate - and of course drink!- the arrival of the world’s “first wine” of the harvest season.
Why is this so special? Wines typically take at least a year or more to reach retail shelves, but what’s amazing about Beaujolais Nouveau is that it’s released to the public just weeks after it's made and it’s distributed around the world within 60 days of being harvested.
Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine made from a grape variety called: Gamay, but since this grape comes almost exclusively from one region: Beaujolais, France, it’s named after the name of the region rather than the name of the grape variety.
This is a fruity, juicy, young red wine with low tannins, light body, and red fruit flavors of raspberry, red cherry, red plum. Some people love it and some people say it’s terrible; it has had a pretty bad rep within the wine industry because of it’s light body and lack of structure/complexity. However, no one can deny that there is an interesting history and tradition behind it.
As the name implies, “Nouveau” is new/young. It began as an early release wine, drunk by vineyard workers, to celebrate the end of harvest.
Back in the 1950s, distributors began competing each year in a race to deliver the first bottles to Paris as quickly after harvest as possible. Around two decades later, winemaker and businessman Georges Duboeuf, a major producer of Beaujolais Nouveau, pushed and publicized the wine and the associated celebrations, coining the term through banners proclaiming “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” (Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived!), which caught a lot of attention from the media and French wine drinkers.
This is so much more than just a bottle of wine! It’s a day, a global celebration and your opportunity to drink the first wine of 2021. Beaujolais Nouveau is released the third Thursday of every November at exactly 12:01 am of France’s local time, that is the moment at which it becomes legal each year to release the wine, so don’t miss it. Plus, it’s generally inexpensive - around $10 or less - and because of it’s qualities and the fact that it’s released a week before Thanksgiving it’s the perfect pairing for your Turkey meal.
Also, remember that this wine is intended for immediate drinking, you don’t need to stress about keeping it wondering if it will get better, it’s not supposed to get better, enjoy it right away.
Beaujolais Nouveau may not be the most “serious” wine out there, but its release is traditional, festive, and fun! Isn’t that what drinking wine is all about?
And just in case this Beaujolais doesn’t sound like something you might like, here’s a list of other wines that make a good pairing for turkey:
If you like white wines try Chardonnay, Viognier or Dry Riesling.
If you like red wines try Pinot Noir or Zinfandel.
If you like bubbles try Champagne.
Happy Beaujolais Nouveau and Thanksgiving Day! Cheers!
