- By French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is always released on the third Thursday in November.
- Beaujolais is located in the region of Burgundy, France, where winemaking traces back to the Roman times. There are 3,600 Beaujolais growers in the region.
- Beaujolais Nouveau is made from 100% Gamay grapes, which have thinner skins than most grapes, causing a lower tannin level.
- By law, Beaujolais grapes must be harvested by hand and grown on individual, free standing vines.
- Beaujolais Nouveau owes its easy drinkability to a winemaking process called carbonic maceration, or whole berry fermentation. This technique preserves the fresh, fruity quality of the wine, without extracting bitter tannins from the grape skins.
- Approximately 1/3 of the entire crop of the Beaujolais region is sold as Beaujolais Nouveau.
- Although many Beaujolais wines are made to be drunk young, within 12 months of bottling, some of the Crus have excellent ageing potential, such as Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent
- Beaujolais Nouveau is meant to be served slightly cool, at about 55°F which makes it even more refreshing and fruit forward than if you serve it at room temperature.
- Beaujolais Nouveau pairs beautifully with a range of foods, from casual dishes to holiday dishes such as turkey and ham. Because of the timing of its release, Beaujolais Nouveau is widely known as the ideal wine to serve at Thanksgiving.
- More than 65 million bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau are expected to be consumed in the months following the wine’s release.
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