What’s so special about Beaujolais Nouveau?

A slice of life in France…

Recently, I’d been noticing signs around the city. In storefronts, cafe windows, metro stations — advertisements large and small were proclaiming:

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est Arrivé! 

I assumed this was just some minor marketing campaign (like, “We have fresh milk in stock!” or “It’s decorative gourd season!”).

But it turns out Beaujolais Nouveau is kind of a big deal.

Apparently under French law, the third Thursday of November is the earliest day each year that Beaujolais Nouveau can be released. So come midnight on said Thursday, people gather to celebrate and taste the first wine of the vintage.

It’s like the New Year’s Eve of wine.

In fact it’s even become a worldwide celebration, from barrels being rolled through the streets of Lyon to people in Japan bathing in large pools of Beaujolais Nouveau.

So on Thursday, I went to my local grocery store, stared far too long at all the options, and in the end went with this small €3 bottle:

Except I’m pretty sure I grabbed a bad bottle, because it smelled slightly sour and the taste had subtle hints of vinegar. My three euros weren’t completely wasted however, as the bottle also came with a story on the back, explaining the drawing on the label:

Guignol is in love with Hortense, the daughter of a good bourgeois family in Lyon. It is difficult for him to see his beloved and ask her parents, Mr and Mrs Barnabé, for her hand in marriage. 

Gnafron comes up with a plan to get himself hired as the household tutor and head cook, and teach the young woman the basics of cooking. His assistant, of course, would be none other than his friend Guignol!

But there are two major problems: First of all, the governess, Eugénie, doesn’t want Gnafron in her kitchen and secondly, Gnafron proclaims that in order to make a good beef stew, “You need to put as much wine in the cook as in the sauce”. 

The story, like the sauce, gets quite spicy, but of course it finishes off on a sweet note for the lovebirds.

So my first Beaujolais Nouveau celebration was a bust, but at least I learned about a new holiday — and how often do you find a wine bottle that tells a story (especially one that encourages drunk cooking)?

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Here’s a tip: if you’re in France and looking to try a good Beaujolais, look for this label. It runs around €3.30 and is my absolute favorite bottle of red. I bring it to every party, and it’s what I’ll be bringing to Thanksgiving dinner this coming weekend. Santé!