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Le Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrivé!
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Beaujolais Nouveau Day falls on Thursday 19 November in 2026, bringing the first taste of France's new vintage just weeks after the grapes have been picked.
Pre-orders are now open for our Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau from Cécile and Alain Dardanelli at Domaine Bel Avenir. The usual price is £14.50 per bottle, reduced by 10% to £13.05 with our Early Bird discount until 30 September.
This year there is a good reason to order early. The harvest at Domaine Bel Avenir has just begun, unusually early after an exceptionally hot, dry summer. Heat, drought and hail have reduced the crop by more than 60%, while the grapes themselves are around half their usual weight. We have secured 2,500 bottles for the UK, but availability will be much more limited than usual.
Harvesters picking Gamay grapes in a Beaujolais vineyardThe harvest in Beaujolais. © Fabrice Ferrer / Inter Beaujolais
What can we expect from the 2026 vintage?
A small harvest does not automatically mean a great one, and the finished wine has not yet been made. Cécile does, however, expect the tiny grapes to produce a darker and more concentrated style of Nouveau than usual.
She anticipates blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, deeper colour and a little more tannin, balanced by good acidity. It should retain the freshness and juicy fruit that make young Gamay so enjoyable, but with rather more substance behind it.
Most Beaujolais Nouveau is made to be enjoyed within months of release. Cécile believes the concentration and acidity of the 2026 vintage may also allow it to develop for a few years in bottle. It will be an interesting vintage to follow, although opening a bottle on Nouveau Day remains the point of the exercise.
What is Beaujolais Nouveau?
Beaujolais Nouveau is a young red wine made from Gamay grapes grown in the Beaujolais region of France. It belongs to the category known as vin de primeur: wine released soon after the harvest and intended to celebrate the arrival of the new vintage.
The grapes are picked, fermented, bottled and released in a matter of weeks. Carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration is commonly used, encouraging bright fruit aromas while extracting relatively little tannin from the skins. The familiar result is a vivid, supple red that is ready to drink almost immediately.
Nouveau may be labelled either Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages. Our wine is Beaujolais-Villages, made with fruit from the hillier northern part of the region, where granite and other poor soils tend to produce wines with greater concentration.
How Beaujolais Nouveau is made
Hand sorting freshly harvested Gamay grapes in BeaujolaisSorting freshly harvested Gamay. © Studio Baalt / Inter Beaujolais
| 1 | The Gamay grapes ripen through the summer. The timing and conditions of the growing season shape the fruit available at harvest. |
| 2 | The grapes are harvested by hand. Whole bunches need to arrive at the winery in good condition for the traditional fermentation method. |
| 3 | Fermentation begins quickly. Carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration helps create the fresh fruit aromas associated with Nouveau. |
| 4 | The wine is prepared for bottling. There is no lengthy period of ageing: Nouveau is made and bottled within weeks. |
| 5 | The new vintage is released. Beaujolais Nouveau goes on sale around the world on the third Thursday in November. |
When is Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2026?
Beaujolais Nouveau Day is always the third Thursday in November. In 2026, it falls on Thursday 19 November.
The date turns a simple young wine into a shared event. Growers, merchants, restaurants and drinkers all open the new vintage together, making it the first opportunity to see how the year has expressed itself in the glass.
Is Beaujolais Nouveau serious or frivolous?
It is primarily a wine for enjoyment rather than contemplation. The pleasure comes from its freshness, its immediacy and the annual ritual of tasting the new harvest.
That does not mean quality is irrelevant. There is a considerable difference between basic mass-produced Nouveau and a Beaujolais-Villages made by an independent family grower. We work directly with Cécile and Alain at Domaine Bel Avenir because their wine combines the exuberance expected of Nouveau with the care they bring to all their Beaujolais.
The domaine is in La Chapelle-de-Guinchay, three kilometres east of Chénas. The Dardanelli family farms vineyards across Beaujolais-Villages and several of the region's crus, giving them a detailed understanding of Gamay and the varied soils of northern Beaujolais.
How should you serve Beaujolais Nouveau?
Serve it slightly chilled, at around 13°C. Twenty to thirty minutes in the fridge is usually enough if the bottle has been kept at room temperature. Chilling brings out the freshness without muting the fruit.
Pre-order Beaujolais Nouveau 2026
Our 2026 Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau is £14.50 per bottle. Order by 30 September to receive the 10% Early Bird discount, reducing the price to £13.05.
Orders will be dispatched in time for Beaujolais Nouveau Day on Thursday 19 November. Delivery is free when you order six or more bottles.
FAQs
When is Beaujolais Nouveau Day?
Beaujolais Nouveau Day is always celebrated on the third Thursday in November. In 2025 it takes place on Thursday 20th November.
What is Beaujolais Nouveau?
Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine on the year. It takes about six weeks from harvest to bottling and its the first chance wine lovers get to taste how good the new vintage is.
How should I serve Beaujolais Nouveau?
Serve your Beaujolais slightly chilled and generously! This is a celebratory wine which doesn't improve with age - so enjoy the moment.
Where can I buy Beaujolais Nouveau?
You can buy Beaujolais Nouveau online from Wickhams Wine Merchant. We work directly with Domaine bel Avenir and dispatch wines for delivery on Beaujolais Nouveau Day. You can also find nouveau wines in your local independent wine shop.
How much does Beaujolais Nouveau cost?
Beaujolais Nouveau typically costs between £10 and £15 per bottle. At the cheaper end you'll be buying AOC Beaujolais, which will be a simple wine from the plains of the river Saône. Spend a little more and you'll get Beaujolais-Villages, a superior wine from the hillier parts of the region. At Wickhams our Beaujolais-Villages is £14 (reduced to £12.60 if you pre-order by the end of September).
What should I pair Beaujolais Nouveau with?
Beaujolais Nouveau is a great choice with picky bits - think soft cheeses (Brie and Camembert), paté, chacuterie, pork pies, and saucisson. It fruity cranberry notes also go really well with Christmas lunch and make the ideal wine to serve with cold cuts on Boxing Day.
