Today is the day when we celebrate the end of a harvest and raise a glass to the 2014 vintage! But here is something you might not know: Nouveau Day, or at least a form of it, has been enjoyed in almost every major wine region of the world for hundreds of years.

Traditionally throughout Europe, from Apulia to Austria, from Cahors to Chianti, from Rioja to Ribera del Duero, the end of the harvest and the peace that comes from many hard weeks and months of labor is celebrated by raising a glass of the newly fermented wine.

What that means is that “Nouveau” has been a hyper-local tradition. Unless you lived or worked in the village, you didn’t participate. It’s only in the last 30 years that it became a marketing event of global scale.

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Quick links
Bird-dogging for Beaujolais
Beaujolais: Five Thing You Should Know
The Wine Company’s Thanksgiving 2014 picks
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So when you acquire your bottles of Nouveau, be sure to enjoy them in the proper and traditional mindset.

Nouveau is about a long tradition of celebrating accomplishment, about a job well done, about being with friends, family, and co-workers, and about smiling and laughing. This is not about deep analysis followed by dozens of adjectives followed by a proclamation of a point score.

So how are the 2014 Nouveau wines from Joseph Drouhin? 

The nose displays bright and punchy fruits flavours: raspberries, black cherry with a hint of licorice. The wines are round, well balanced, with the same intense fruit flavours.
A lot of charm.

Maison Joseph Drouhin’s Beaujolais Nouveau 2014 has obtained the Great Gold Medal at the Lyon-Beaujolais Nouveau Trophy! Established in 2001, this is the only official competition for primeur wines. Organized by the “Union des œnologues de France”, it rewards, each year, the best Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau.

Tasting note by Véronique Boss-Drouhin on the 2014 Beaujolais Nouveau
“It offers all the freshness of a primeur wine! According to the vintages, the wine may be fairly round, close to Burgundy style, or firmer. It reveals aromas reminiscent of red fruit, more or less strong, together with a refreshing acidity”.

Tasting note by Véronique Boss-Drouhin on the 2014 Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau
“The Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau exhibits the same intense colour but here the wines are a little fatter and the aromas are more reminiscent of fleshy, ripe cherries, loaded with sugar and sunshine”.

Serving: Drink young at 14°-15°C (57°-59° F).