While there are many celebrations for the release of new wine vintages, the Beaujolais Nouveau is by far the biggest. In contrast to Central and Eastern Europe, where new wines are released on the feast day of St. Martin (Nov. 11), the patron saint of wine, the Beaujolais Nouveau is always released on the third Thursday of November. While producers race to sell their wines around the world, distributors face the difficult task of getting the wines imported for the official launch. With limited time between the hand-picking of the Gamay grapes and the official release just six-eight weeks later, Beaujolais Nouveau is a headache for every importer outside Europe. Despite the challenges, a number of Beijing importers are bringing this fresh and fruity “vin de primeur” to their wine loving customers. Try it at Enoteca for ¥200 a bottle, complimented by a free buffet on Nov. 19. La Baie des Anges is also having a Beaujolais Nouveau launch party on Nov. 19, and Scarlett follows suit on Nov. 20. The Alliance Francaise is having a party on Nov. 19 for the new wine, to be catered by Le Petit Gourmand, which is serving the wine by the glass and bottle all week, too. The Hilton Beijing is also fusing French and American cultures by offering Beaujolais Nouveau with Thanksgiving dinner next week.

By Tomaz Hladnik, Manager of Enoteca