Here at SpiritedZine, we don’t usually cover much of the wine world, but today is different. Why? Because it’s Beaujolais Day and we all need something to celebrate in 2020. We’ve been celebrating the first wine of the harvest since before we can remember and we think you should too. What is Beaujolais Day? Each year, on the third Thursday of November, Les Vins Georges Duboeuf releases its highly anticipated Beaujolais Nouveau wines to the world.
Bottled just a few weeks after the harvest, the wines are meant to be enjoyed young, in celebration of the year’s vintage. In what has been an exceptionally tumultuous year for the world, the release of Beaujolais Nouveau is a reminder that there is always cause to celebrate. Per French law and tradition, Georges Duboeuf 2020 Beaujolais Nouveau wines will be available worldwide at midnight on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020.
Les Vins Georges Duboeuf was founded in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that the brand grew to international recognition when Georges introduced the local Beaujolais Nouveau tradition to a global audience. Though he passed away earlier this year, the legacy that Georges began survives through the dedication of his son Franck. Under his direction, the 2020 vintage is poised to be one of the best in decades. “The exceptional sunshine and high temperatures this year have worked wonders on the grapes, which have produced world-class wines,” said Franck, who is CEO of Les Vins Georges Duboeuf. “Imbued with warmth and harmony, these wines are packed with flavor and rich texture — the perfect antidote to the gray times we’re living in.”
Over one million bottles of the 2020 Beaujolais Nouveau wines sold in the U.S. will be adorned with the artwork of this year’s Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau Artist Label Competition winner Maeve Croghan. Her painting Russet Vines was selected by public vote from over 1,000 pieces of original art submitted this year. In addition to the new label, every bottle of 2020 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau will contain a special cork this year, each printed with an individual code.
“We’re hoping to make the holidays a bit more joyous this year with the introduction of our First Wine of The Harvest Cork Sweepstakes,” commented Dennis Kreps, co-owner of Quintessential with his father Stephen D. Kreps. Quintessential is the exclusive importer of Georges Duboeuf wines in the U.S. “Duboeuf fans will have a chance to win limited-edition branded gear and to be entered into the grand prize drawing for a premiere personal wine cellar.”
To see if a cork is a winner, and for complete rules and regulations, visit the contest’s official website. All entries will be automatically submitted in the grand prize drawing.
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau is available through Minibar Delivery (where available) and at most wine retailers nationwide for the price of of $13.49, while the Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé is $12.99, and the Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau is $14.99. If you’re really looking to revel in Beaujolais Day 2020, why not get all three.