The third Thursday of November marks the official release of the year's Beaujolais Nouveau. Typically harvested in September, the wine undergo fermentation and after few weeks left to settle, it is bottled and sent around the World, for people to celebrate and get a glimpse of what the year's vintage is like.

For the last 10 years, Le Caveau has focused in bringing those 'New Wave' or 'Natural' Nouveau, made by producers who work their land the organic way and most importantly, do not add anything to their wines. 

When you open a bottle of Nouveau by Jean Foillard, Rémi Dufaître or Jean-Claude Lapalu (amongst others), what you get is simply what's described above, pure Gamay juice, spontaneously fermented, settled and bottled without additives. They are the polar opposite of mass-produced Nouveau, in their appearance, taste and the philosophy behind it.

Parties and events around these Natural Nouveau are organised around the World, Paris 11th arrondissement being the epicentre. Ireland's wine bars, wine shops, restaurant and bars scene will be very active today and this evening.

If you want to see for yourself, what the fuss is all about, make your way to any of the venues listed below, and grab a glass or a bottle!

Happy Beaujolais Nouveau Day!

Green Man Wines

L'Atitude 51

Loose Canon

Station to Station

Baggot Street

Le Caveau

Brindle

Blackrock cellars

Paradiso

Ventry Post Office

Cass and Co

Frank's

Ballymaloe House

Nash 19

Savoir Faire

Rift Coffee Limerick

Saint-Francis Kinsale

Universal Galway

Glass Curtain

Nell's Cork

McGuinness Dundalk

Ard Bia Galway

Good Day Deli

World Wide Wines

Fallon Byrne Wine store

Trinity Cellars

the Wine Pair

Lennox Street Café

Bridge Bar Restaurant

Cheese Press Ennystimon

Kalbos Skibbereen

Pop up Wine Shop Grain Store Ballymaloe

O'Driscoll, Ballintemple

Curran Retailer Galway

Dodi Café Lahinch

Lilith Wines

Pete's Provisions

11 Deli

Allottment wines

Nude Wine Co.

Mardagh Howth

Sweeney's D3

NOTE Wine Bar

Whelehan's Wines

The Fumbally

AVOCA Rahtcoole

AVOCA Ballsbridge

AVOCA Monkstown

AVOCA Malahide

Mitchell's Glasthule

Mitchell's CHQ

Drink stores Stonybatter

The Corkscrew

Thai House Dalkey

Dooks Fethard

Greenwich Cork

Bradley's Cork

Mc Curtain Cellars

Manning's Ballylickey

WunderKaffee Cork

Pilgrims Rosscarberry

The Lane Cheese & Wine Galway

Mosaic Ballydehob

Luna Killarney

51 Cornmarket Cork

Fota Island Resort

Lignum Galway

Stranfield house

 

Beaujolais Nouveau 2013

Like many people, I suppose, I had long been dismissive about the wines of Beaujolais. That was until I tasted Jean Foillard’s magnificent Morgon Côte du Py a few years ago...It completely changed my perspective on the possibilities for honest, authentic and even fine wines from this region. Foillard may be one of the avant-garde, but there are other, perhaps less vaunted, producers who are producing Gamay that, without the artifices of excessive intervention in both the vineyard and the cellar, are alive with juicy freshness and a real joie de vivre.

 Gilles and Cècile Roux and Didier Desvignes are but two of these producers and their wines have been especially blessed by several exceptionally good recent vintages. I am looking forward to tasting the 2013, which by all accounts, has been made by glorious September weather. We have ordered a small quantity of their Beaujolais Nouveau which gives us a fun excuse to pre-taste the new vintage! As I say, quantities are quite small, so don't delay!

Claire O'Boyle-Gallagher, Le Caveau

Gilles et Cécile Roux, Domaine de la Plaigne - Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2013

A chance to get an insight into the 2013 vintage from Gilles and Cécile Roux, who are based in Regnié-Durette. Cécile Roux, just this week told us that they were happy with how the vintage went with a glorious unbroken run of sunshine in September resulting in fully ripe grapes. The fermentation cellar, she said, has been heady with the aromas of sweet red fruits and that unmistakeable smell of newly fermented grape juice and smells heavenly!

Didier Desvignes, Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 'Nature' 2013 Organic viticulture, wild yeasts only (and certainly no 71B!), no chaptalisation, no added sulphur Didier Desvignes is one of a number of small, artisan growers whose dynamism and vision are driving the new quality focus of Beaujolais wines. The best producers of this region are now producing some of the most delicious, food-friendly and under-priced wines in France- no 'goût de banane' here! These light-bodied wines have crunchy raspberry and sour-cherry fruit flavours, soft tannins and fresh acidity. This kind of structure means that they can be drunk slightly cool and complement a wide variety of foods: white or red  meats, charcuterie, soft cheeses.