In 2021, more than nine million bottles had been marketed in France, and almost as many exported abroad. This year, because of the drought, there are “20% less than the average for the past five years, but the quality is top notch. It’s a dream vintage,” assures Daniel Bulliat, president of Inter Beaujolais. And you will be able to check this evening, since that’s it, it’s the third Thursday of November, the day of the traditional Beaujolais Nouveau festival.
If aficionados do not miss this meeting, it is above all “to share a moment of conviviality in lightness”, explains Nadine, who summarizes well the opinion of Internet users who responded to our call for testimonials. This is moreover the argument put forward by the producers of Beaujolais Nouveau: “This wine corresponds to the party”, affirms Daniel Bulliat.
“It amuses us to find the worst possible wine”
Understand a light wine, not tannic, easy to drink (read box). “Primeur wines are very flattering for consumers, because they are very aromatic,” explains oenologist Régine Le Coz. As for the rosé, it does not require any particular knowledge to appreciate them. No need, therefore, to have an educated palate to feel the famous banana taste. Not to mention an “unbeatable price/quality ratio”, specifies Cyrielle, an Internet user. All the same, expect a price increase this year, because of the poor harvests of 2021 and 2022. “You have to count on average between 1 and 2 euros more per bottle, so around 5 or between 8 and 10 euros at a wine merchant”, calculates Daniel Bulliat.
If Régine Le Coz specifies that “today, we no longer make bad wines in France, especially on early wines”, lovers of good red will not necessarily be looking for the quality of the beverage this evening. Like Karl, our reader: “I’ve been touring bars that offer Beaujolais Nouveau with my friends for about ten years. The wine is bad, and besides, it amuses us to find the worst possible. »
“An annual spotlight on our vineyards”
Is Beaujolais Nouveau only good for partying on a November evening? Not that, no. Professionals in the sector agree in considering en primeur wines as a showcase. “It’s an annual spotlight on our vineyards, assures Daniel Bulliat. After drinking Beaujolais Nouveau, customers discover our wines for laying down. »
Highlighted with a lot of media hype (we participate), the Beaujolais Nouveau festival “was originally a marketing operation”, reminds Kilien Stengel, gastronomic author and teacher at the University of Tours, within from the European Institute of Food History and Cultures.
“There was certainly a phenomenon of heritage of this festival in the minds of people, he concedes, but I am not certain that this is the case in practice. I know a lot of restaurateurs and bar owners who don’t want to hear about it. And let’s not forget that since the end of the 1990s, many regions of France have developed their own primeur wine. » Touraine primeur, Gaillac primeur, Côteaux du Languedoc primeur or even Côte du Rhône primeur… So many primeur wines that will be honored in the evening in their region.