Bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau, released annually on the third Thursday of November, have gone on sale in Japan. Produced in France's Beaujolais region, this red wine is sold in the same year the grapes are harvested. Enthusiasts in Tokyo toasted the fresh vintage at various events.
Beaujolais Nouveau, a red wine produced in France's Beaujolais region, is bottled and sold in the same year its grapes are harvested. This year, bottles went on sale in Japan ahead of the traditional third Thursday of November, on November 20.
In Tokyo, wine enthusiasts gathered at various events to toast the arrival of the fresh vintage. At an event held at Vinos Yamazaki Ginza, a wine specialty store in Tokyo's Chuo Ward, a 61-year-old company employee from Tokyo sipped a glass and said, “It’s fresh and fruity.” He added, “It’s as delicious as I expected.”
However, the domestic market for Beaujolais Nouveau has been shrinking in recent years, due to diversifying consumer tastes among other reasons. Suntory Holdings Ltd., the only major alcoholic beverage company in Japan handling the wine, imported about 37,000 cases this year—a slight decrease from the previous year.
Known for its light, fruity flavor, the wine has long been a seasonal autumn favorite, but shifting market dynamics may influence its future popularity.