Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2025 – The First Taste of a New Vintage

Beaujolais Nouveau Day is one of the most exciting days in the wine world, a joyful moment when the first red wine of this year's vintage is unveiled. On the third Thursday of November, fans gather to raise a glass to the freshest expression of Gamay, and 2025 promises to be no exception. Our release from Jean-Michel Dupré is now available to purchase here: Beaujolais Nouveau 2025.

A Tradition Born in the Rolling Hills of Beaujolais

Beaujolais, tucked just south of Burgundy, is a region dedicated almost entirely to the Gamay grape. Thanks to its granite-rich soils and a long history of semi-carbonic winemaking, the wines burst with bright, lively fruit and soft, rounded tannins. Unlike many French reds take time to settle and mature, Beaujolais Nouveau is crafted specifically for enjoying straight away.

The tradition began as a simple local custom: winemakers would release a small batch of their newly fermented wine to celebrate the end of harvest. But by the 1970s, the idea captured global imagination. Suddenly, establishments all around the world were competing to be the first to pour it when the clock struck midnight on release day.

The Legendary Beaujolais Race

Perhaps the most entertaining chapter of its history is the famed “Beaujolais Race.” What started as a few journalists dashing from the cellars of Beaujolais to Paris to proclaim arrival quickly escalated into a spirited annual contest involving cars, bikes, boats and even hot-air balloons. British pubs would proudly display banners announcing that they were first in London to receive the new vintage — sometimes delivered by private plane, occasionally by less conventional means. There are stories of drivers wedging cases into sports cars so tightly they had to climb out through the window, all to beat rivals by a matter of minutes.

Although the race has calmed over the decades, the sense of fun remains, and Beaujolais Nouveau Day continues to bring people together for one shared moment of celebration.

Celebrate 2025 with Jean-Michel Dupré

This year’s release from Jean-Michel Dupré captures everything people love about Beaujolais Nouveau, vibrant fruit, soft structure and a joyful expression of the new harvest.

Purchase your bottle here and join the festivities:
Beaujolais Nouveau 2025 – Jean-Michel Dupré.