How to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau like a local
Beaujolais Nouveau started like a Pink music video (at least, that's how I imagine it). Instead of a Mercedes Benz, a plane hit the runway in New York.
Instead of a scantily-clad blonde singer claiming that the party didn't start until she walked in, a winemaker from Beaujolais, eastern France*, descended from the aircraft, proudly announcing "le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! (Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived!)."
It's a rather simplistic way of looking at it, but since Georges Duboeuf, winemaker and owner of Hameau DuBoeuf, arrived in New York in the 1970s to flog bottles of red wine made from the young grapes of that year's harvest, a celebration which had previously only taken place in Beaujolais began its worldwide revolution.
Here, we look at some of the ways to make the most of harvest season and celebrate the bottling of Beaujolais Nouveau just like the locals.
Getting to Beaujolais country: book yourself a great value break to Lyon* or Paris* with easyJet holidays* and travel from there.
Boundary-breaking Beaujolais
Beaujolais Nouveau broke the boundaries: no longer was wine being aged for decades to be drunk by middle-aged men with pursed lips like skin wrinkled by too much time in the bath.
Gone were the stringent rules, where even a supermarket wine could only be drunk with monkfish filleted with a rose gold knife under the full moon.
Beaujolais Nouveau was a party, a wine designed to be enjoyed with everything, at every meal, and even to quench the thirst of runners embarking on the annual marathon through the vines during the Beaujolais Nouveau festival.
Celebrated for five days around the third Thursday of November, Beaujolais Nouveau has spread to Japan (where festival-goers bathe in it), the UK, the United States and many other countries around the world, but the French know that there's no better place to celebrate than in its birthplace.
But with over 100 Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations to choose from in the region, which should you go for? Having celebrated it many times, here's my advice.
For a proper party
The biggest celebration in the region takes place in Beaujeu and is known as Les Sarmentelles. It kicks off with an opening ceremony outside the Hôtel de Ville.
The name comes from sarments, which is the French for grapevines, which are burnt in the middle of town during the celebration.
As well as more wine tastings than you could shake a grapevine at, there are costume parades through town, live music, dancing and fireworks. If you've got the stamina to keep partying for five days fuelled entirely on red wine, Les Sarmentelles in Beaujeu is the place to go.
Getting there
A TGV (high-speed) train service runs between Paris and Mâcon Loché. From here it's a 30-minute drive.
For good food
You've got to soak up all of that wine somehow, and with France's culinary prowess, it's little surprise that there's a Beaujolais Nouveau celebration dedicated entirely to eating.
Beaujolais Gourmand in Tarare, southwest Beaujolais, is now in its 27th year. Restauranteurs put on special menus for the duration of Beaujolais Nouveau (advance booking recommended).
On the second-last Saturday in November, a vast foodie market takes over the town centre and welcomes a parade of local confréries (brotherhoods).
Most of them are linked to food, and among the gaudily-dressed parade look out for curious fellowships, including the Guild of Bresse Chicken Keepers, the Guild of Nantuan Quenelle Sauce and the Guild of the Ardechois Chestnut.
Most are male-heavy, but Tarare has a sisterhood dedicated to the tarandouille, a sausage made from pig intestines, infused with Beaujolais.
Getting there
TGV trains run from Paris to Lyon (two hours), from where it's a 40-minute TER (regular speed) train to Tarare.
For keeping active
Most people have heard of the Marathon du Médoc near Bordeaux, France's original wine festival, but far fewer have heard of the Marathon du Beaujolais, which is far bigger and only half the price.
Held in Villefranche-sur-Saône, the capital of Beaujolais, it sees some 20,000 runners, the vast majority of which are wearing full fancy dress, tackle either a marathon, half-marathon or 13 km run, with plenty of wine tastings along the way.
The route winds through vineyards and dips in and out of wine cellars, many of which have live bands or DJ sets to accompany the free-flowing Beaujolais Nouveau. Being a spectator is almost as much fun, as there are plenty of free wine tastings for non-runners too.
There's also an organised women's walk (a 7.5 km loop) to raise funds for combatting cancers which affect women, with a tasting en route.
Getting there
Direct TER trains run between Paris Percy and Villefranche-sur-Saône but take almost five hours. To speed up the journey, catch a high-speed train to Lyon or Mâcon and catch a local train from there.
For a little bit of everything
Spend your time in Lyon, the largest city in the region, just half an hour from Beaujolais. It's easy to dip into Beaujolais for the day, but there's plenty going on in France's third city too.
On the Wednesday and Thursday evenings, the Young Farmers of the Rhone host a celebration on Place Saint-Jean, in the heart of the old town, Vieux Lyon.
The new bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau are ceremoniously pierced, as is tradition, at midnight on the Thursday, but there's still plenty to drink before this happens.
Get your foodie fix by booking in for a mâchon, Lyon's answer to bottomless brunch. Typically eaten at 9 am, it's an artery-clogging feast of offal, washed down with Beaujolais wine. Advance booking is essential. For an authentic experience, go to Les 4G or Le Café du Peintre.
Of course, to truly experience Beaujolais Nouveau like a local, you'll need to huff, puff and resolutely refuse to participate. Lyon's wine bars don't all celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau, so if you're sick of the Gamay grape, head to Les Assembleurs for alternative varieties on tap.
Getting there
Lyon-Saint Éxupery has direct flights from many UK airports, and TGVs (high-speed trains) link Lyon and Paris in two hours.
Climate in Beaujolais
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum daytime temperature °C | ||||||||||||
| Hours of sunshine (daily) | ||||||||||||
| Days with some rainfall |
The above guide shows the climate in Lyon. Find out more about the conditions across the country in our complete guide to the climate in France.
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