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Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau is a young, red wine from the Beaujolais region of France. It is made from 100% Gamay grapes and is a “vin de primeur“, released for sale just weeks after harvest on the third Thursday of November at 12.01 AM.
Georges Duboeuf, often hailed as the “King of Beaujolais,” was a tireless ambassador for the region’s wines. Born in 1933, he grew up on his family’s farm in Beaujolais, where they tended a few acres of vines. At just eighteen, in 1951, Duboeuf began his wine journey by delivering bottles to local restaurants on his bicycle.
Vins Georges Duboeuf went on to become one of the most important and influential wine producers in France. Eventually he founded a syndicate of some 45 Beaujolais growers, the Ecrin Mâconnais-Beaujolais, to supply a network of restaurants he had built up and was supplying to. When this fell apart in 1964, he founded Les Vins Georges Duboeuf as a negociant. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, his son Franck takes care of the business.
Since the 1800s, Beaujolais growers celebrated the harvest’s end by toasting with young wine, part of France’s vin de primeur tradition, where wines are released in the same year as harvest. Lyonnais barkeepers and restaurateurs bought barrels of this new wine, pressed in September and served from pitchers by November, sometimes transported by floating down the Saône River.
After the Beaujolais AOC was established in 1937, sales were restricted until December 15. However, rules eased in 1951. This set November 15 as the release date for Beaujolais Nouveau. In 1985, the INAO standardised the release to the third Thursday of November. This ensured a consistent global launch for this vibrant, young wine, which would become a worldwide phenomenon.
In the 1960s, there were races to see who could get bottles back to Paris first. In the UK, there were similar races to see who could bring back Beaujolais Nouveau the fastest. People would race back from Beaujolais in various ways. They used classic cars, modern cars, helicopters, Concorde and light aircraft. The goal was to deliver the wine in time for Sausage and Beaujolais breakfasts. Eventually, this race spread to North America, Australia and Japan.
Sadly, today, the wine is released to merchants beforehand. This ensures that your favourite, local wine merchant has stock first thing on that 3rd Thursday morning in November and will be able to say “Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!“
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau is celebrated for its fresh, fruity and vibrant character and is produced using carbonic maceration, a fermentation technique that enhances its juicy, low-tannin profile with flavours of red berries, cherry and banana.
Each year, Maison Georges Dubœuf collaborates with a new artist to create a poster representing the vintage.
