Beaujolais, nouveau and not.
I love wine that isn’t po-faced: bright, cheerful wines that raise the spirits and cause a smile. Don’t get me wrong – I love serious Burgundies and challenging Brunello, too. Everything has its place, but light, cheery reds are too often overlooked. Chief among those wines, for me, is Beaujolais.
What is Beaujolais wine?
Made with the gamay grape, Beaujolais red wines all enjoy flavours of strawberries, raspberries and red cherries. Some come with notes of violet or rose, others with distinct sandalwood aroma. They are light bodied, fragrant and drink well with charcuterie, conversation or your favourite TV series.
Beaujolais wines fall broadly into four categories: the Crus, the Villages, AOC Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau. The first two categories are more likely to be aged a little before sale. They generally contain more tannin, more complex, layered flavours, and are more likely to pair well with food. The latter two categories are likely to be brighter, fresher and more immediately fruity in character.
Each region and sub-region of the winemaking industry in France has its own rules about how you make the wine and what you can subsequently call the wine. One of those rules in Beaujolais concerns something called “carbonic maceration.” Without getting too technical, it’s a process that results in wine that is very fruity, low in tannin and full of colour. It’s immediately noticeable from the kirsch or bubblegum aromas it brings to the wine. AOC Beaujolais is allowed to use this process, and it is the key process that gives Beaujolais Nouveau its character. Because of the low tannin, Beaujolais Nouveau is best drunk very young and very fresh, whereas the Cru Beaujolais and the Village wines must not use this technique and are consequently higher in tannin and need time to soften out a bit.
So, what is Beaujolais Nouveau Day?
And why does it cause such a fuss in November?
Following the October harvest, Beaujolais Nouveau is fermented, cleared and bottled, and released for sale on the third Thursday in November. This quick turnaround and sudden release triggered the craze for races, to see which bar or restaurant would be the first to serve each year’s release. While the practices of modern commerce have rendered the racing largely meaningless, there is still a place for the party atmosphere, sense of fun and thrill of discovery that accompanies the first day of sales.
What Date is Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2026?
Our Oxford Street wine bar will be open from 8:00am (a nod to bringing the freshest Beaujolais Nouveau back on the day they are released) on Thursday 19th November for you to try, buy and celebrate this silly, frivolous wine. We’ll be serving croissants, ham and cheese in the morning, onion soup at lunchtime, and our usual array of charcuterie, cheeses, gougères and fish later in the day. If we’re lucky, Ryan might even get his accordion out!
While reservations aren't essential, we recommend booking a table to avoid disappointment.
