Every year, the Beaujolais Nouveau is released for sale in France on the third Thursday of November. A record-breaking heatwave in the Beaujeu region this year has reduced the quantity of the wine output, but some say the quality is better – fruity, round and "fine in the mouth".
The Beaujolais Nouveau is back on the tables in Beaujeu, home to the Beaujolais on Thursday.
At the Sarmentelles festival, which gets its name from the French word for grapevine cuttings, the revelers include tourists tasting their first Beaujolais.
At midnight, as is the tradition every third Thursday of November, the barrel of the new wine was pierced in Beaujeu, marking the start of the Sarmentelles festivities.
Beaujeu locals approved of the wine's quality this year. "It is very good, very fruity, very round, fine in the mouth. It's perfect for a new Beaujolais," Claire, a local resident, told AFP on Wednesday evening, amid the parades, bands and tasting stands in Beaujeu.
Dominique, another Beaujeu resident, confirmed her assessment. "It is like last year, very fruity. With climate change, it gets better from year to year."
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
