This Year’s Beaujolais Nouveau Released; Store Price Cheaper than Last Year

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:02 JST, November 16, 2023

This year’s Beaujolais Nouveau went on sale at the start of Thursday.

The red wine is produced in the Beaujolais region of France and is sold the same year that the grapes are harvested. It is released around the world every year on the third Thursday in November.

On the night, enthusiasts toasted with glasses of the fresh red wine at an event in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.

According to Suntory Holdings Ltd., this year’s grapes were smaller than average due to the extremely hot summer, but still have a sweet aroma.

Suntory and Sapporo Breweries Ltd. decided to reduce the prices of their leading Beaujolais Nouveau products for the first time in 14 years and 11 years, respectively. Lower airfreight costs have likely helped this reduction in retail price.

Imports are expected to increase by 20% compared to last year — the first increase in 11 years — in light of an uptick in the number of people eating out.