Today I am full of anticipation as tomorrow in Swansea, where Goose Island is based, it is Beaujolais Day
To give some background to the history of this special day, the Beaujolais district of France had always made a ‘vin de l’anee’ to celebrate the end of harvest. In the early days it was only for local consumption where it was sold after 15th December. The rules were relaxed in the 1950s and the new date for release was 15th November, where it was then christened Beaujolais Nouveau!
Later the potential was seen to market Beaujolais Nouveau as it was an excuse to clear lots of ‘vin ordinaire’ at a good profit, and selling wine within weeks after harvest was great for cashflow. Hence the idea was born of a race to Paris carrying the first bottles of the new vintage; this attracted lots of media coverage and by the 1970s it had become a national event and in 1985 the date was changed to the 3rd Thursday in November.
I personally have been celebrating Beaujolais Day for over 20 years, it has been an excuse to dress up and meet old friends. In the early years we used to look forward to tasting the Beaujolais Nouveau to see whether it was good or not; the bottles had arrived in Swansea on the day, they were chilled, and truthfully, they were not very good. As the years have moved on, I have to admit that I would not consider drinking the Beaujolais as a good rioja or perhaps a bottle of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon hits the right notes for me, this year though I might make an exception and sample a glass, or two, if its good!!
Beaujolais day is now celebrated across Europe, but, within the UK, I believe it is only Swansea, Cardiff and London who celebrate the day!!
Tomorrow, Swansea and the surrounding areas will be filled with people enjoying the day, with people travelling from far and wide to celebrate the occasion and the atmosphere!!
Claire
Customer Services Department
Goose Island
