Conventional wisdom is that wine gets better as it ages. Rob Newell's blog post does a good job explaining that this is mostly untrue – 99% of wine is intended to be consumed within five years of production. However, I was curious if there were any outliers that were meant to be consumed very soon after production, and stumbled upon Beaujolais nouveau as just such a wine.
While perhaps unsurprising to those who know wine, I discovered that Beaujolais has a unique production process and sales strategy. In terms of production, it is only aged for a few weeks, being bottled just 6-8 weeks after the harvest. The grapes and the production process lend to a unique flavor that is very fruity and sweet. The wine is known not to improve with age, but rather to be consumed shortly after purchase. Adding to its idiosyncrasies, the red wine is also meant to be consumed chilled.
While many love Beaujolais, some consider it a simple and unsophisticated wine. Its sales have fluctuated over the last few decades, with some asking whether it will make a comeback (http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30079340), but others saying that the peaks in demand are due to hipster trends.
The most interesting aspect of Beaujolais nouveau, however, is how it is sold: once per year, at midnight on the date of a specific night in November. Unlike any other wine (that I could identify), the entire vintage is released all at once. This mass release, along with some heavy marketing, creates a rush and celebration surrounding buying and consuming the wine that is well known throughout the wine community, and has come to define the wine.
All of this leaves me to wonder: in a retail climate in which "experience-driven purchases" are increasingly common, can other wine labels and regions create a similar experience? Tastings are one way in which vineyards already do this, but is there a way to do it on a larger scale and inclusive of an entire region?
Thinking back on Terry Wheatley's visit this wine has all of the makings of a successful brand with such catchy story that fits with the wine inside the bottle. I'm surprised that it hasn't been more continuously successful - I wonder if in part the marketing and story aren't prominent enough? On a personal note, I am captivated by this wine and truly can't wait to try it, but I've never even heard of it! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, David! This is really interesting. I know many of the sommeliers featured in Somm: Into the Bottle actually called out Beaujolais as their current high value/low price/trendy wine region. There was so much sommelier acclaim for the region that the film's editors spliced the clips of 8-10 of them all mentioning Beaujolais as their "trending" region together for comedic effect! I didn't realize that the aging dynamics of Beaujolais were also so unique.
ReplyDeleteVinho verde from Portugal is another example of inexpensive, tasty wine meant to be drunk young: https://www.eater.com/drinks/2016/6/23/12005984/vinho-verge-portugal-wine-cheap
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