What is Beaujolais Nouveau Day All About?

Each third Thursday of November, French winemakers release the first wine of the season – making it Beaujolais Nouveau Day. In fact, under French law, it’s released at precisely 12:01 a.m. each third Thursday of November, making it one of the biggest wine release parties around the world.

2021 Release: Thursday, Nov. 18 

You can pre-order the 2021 Beaujolais Nouveau but it won't be available for pickup until Nov. 18. Enjoy for Thanksgiving. The wine is meant to be enjoyed immediately upon release!

What is Beaujolais Nouveau?

So the question begets itself: What is Beaujolais Nouveau? Simply, it’s a young, fresh, fruity wine that’s very low in tannins, made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region in France. How young? It’s released just weeks after the wine’s grapes have been harvested.

Before we go any further, here’s how it’s pronounced: boh-zhuh-ley noo-voh. And if you want to listen to the pronunciation, click here.

Five Fun Facts about Beaujolais Nouveau

• By law, all the grapes in the Beaujolais region must be harvested by hand. 

• The region of Beaujolais is 34 miles long from north to south, and seven to nine miles wide.

• There are about 120 celebrations or festivals held in the Beaujolais region to commemorate Beaujolais Nouveau.

• Georges Duboeuf has been dubbed the King of Beaujolais.

• Japan is the world’s largest importer of Beaujolais Nouveau. Germany is second. The United States is third.

Enjoy!

Beaujolais Nouveau is meant to be enjoyed and celebrated, and is a perfect companion to your Thanksgiving feast. It’s a terrific pairing and a great way to toast all the many things in our life we are thankful for this year.

You don’t have to wait until for Thanksgiving to uncork it, however. Make yourself a charcuterie platter of your favorite meats and cheeses, uncork and enjoy. Or, better yet, order one from Haskell’s Big Cheese Deli and have it delivered along with a bottle of the freshest wine on the shelf.

Founded in 1934, Haskell’s has championed fine wines for over 80 years. We have 13 wine stores in Minnesota, two delis and one restaurant. As one of the top wine shops in North America, Haskell’s is known for legendary service and one of the finest collections of wine, beer and spirits. Led by Chairman and CEO Jack Farrell, and the Farrell family, Haskell’s continues to be at the forefront of the wine scene throughout the world. Haskell’s also can ship wine, beer & spirits all throughout the world, the U.S. and we deliver locally.