To the north-west of Lyon, in the Beaujolais region, there is the Buffavan Castle with 25 hectares of vineyards – the deposit of the so-called “new” wine, Beaujolais Nouveau. Its highlight lies in the fact that the harvest must be harvested before the berries ripen – it is because of its “immaturity” that Parisians consider Beaujolais “not-wine”. However, in France itself, almost no one treats him as a wine, but as a source of cheerful mood – even how! Traditionally, on the third Thursday of November at exactly midnight, the “New Beaujolais” holiday comes to the French land.
There are two areas in Beaujolais: in the north – Upper Beaujolais with granite-slate soils, in the south – Lower Beaujolais with clay and calcareous soils. The best wines are produced in Haute Beaujolais. In Lower Beaujolais, where the Buffavan Castle is located, the quality of wines made from the same grape variety is already lower. Beaujolais wines are divided into four categories. The bottom two are Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais Superriere. But in the Beaujolais region, other wines are produced that are not inferior in quality to Burgundy. They belong to the third and fourth categories. This is a Beaujolais Village wine, which requires 2-3 years of aging for its full development, as well as 10 varieties of wines named after the regions: Saint-Amour, Rainier, Moulin-a-Van, Morgon, Julienne, Fleury, Cote de Brouilly, Shirouble, Chenas, Brouilly.
In Lower Beaujolais, where the soils are not as fertile as in other regions of France, the grapes of the Gamay variety took root perfectly, which ripened faster than other varieties, which is why the harvest began earlier. The resulting wine matured quickly and had low quality compared to other Burgundy wines. Some French monarchs even called Beaujolais “disgusting swill” and categorically forbade serving it to their table. As a rule, wine from the Gamay variety is not adapted to long storage and it is at a young age that it differs in a rather rich flavor and aromatic bouquet.
To attract attention to the product, winemakers in the XIX century began to conduct an advertising campaign for the sale of young wine, which allegedly begins a new wine year. That’s how the Beaujolais Nuovo holiday appeared. To sell stocks, they also resorted to tricks: the volume of bottles was reduced to 460 ml, and they began to sell in batches. In bars, bottles were placed on racks, and customers had to pay per meter. There were twelve and a half bottles in a meter – and the thirteenth was offered for free. After the Second World War, the French government decided to sell young wines from November 13, and in 1985, the existing date for the start of sales was determined to this day – the third Thursday in November.
As usual, the celebration is started by winemakers from the town of Bozho. Holding lighted torches from the vine in their hands, they solemnly march out to the city square, where barrels of young wine have already been installed. Exactly at midnight, the plugs are knocked out, and the intoxicating jets of Beaujolais Nuovo begin their next annual journey through France and around the world.
A few days before the holiday, millions of bottles of young wine from small villages and towns in the Beaujolais region begin their journey from France to countries and continents, where it is already eagerly awaited in shops, cafes, restaurants and clubs. For their owners to host a young wine festival is a matter of honor! There is even a competition between producers who will be the first to deliver their wine to one or another part of the world.
In connection with the holiday, the canonical phrase “Le Beaujolais est arrivé!” (from the French – “Beaujolais has arrived!“), which serves as the motto for the festivities taking place on this day around the world, has even spread.
Author of the article: Varvara Kartushina
