This year a bottle of Nouveau was up to $17 in the Memphis area and it was my least favorite vintage since I started keeping notes in 2004. I’m interested to see how things fare next year; I might just skip the annual bottle.

I’ve written about this on my blog, and in the comments you’ll see responses from people in the wine distribution and retail sectors:

http://wine-by-benito.blogspot.com/2008/11/2008-georges-dub-beaujolais-nouveau.html

I just came across this book about the phenomenon. Looks like a good read?

I’ll Drink to That: Beaujolais and the French Peasant Who Made It the World’s Most Popular Wine
by Rudolph Chelminski

Nothing wrong with that…sometimes it is good to not be to “serious” with ones wines, and that is great! Young drinkers can find this wine type accessible, they have a great marketing angle, the packaging is again accessible (lots of colors) and it is cheap.

Hey-what more can you ask for for a refreshing bit of wine…as long as you do not expect it to be more than a sweet, refreshing bit of mine.

Hats off to this marketing!

Best,

Allan Guy

However, I agree the Beaujolais are more hype than substance. I don’t mean to dis-credit any of them by any means. Maybe I haven’t had the right one yet. I do credit the marketing has done it liberty. Just like anything else that goes on a moritorium, it becomes more desireable, especially for those of us stocking our cellars.

Human ‘s behavior is very interesting to study . From marketing to Staneley Milgram experiment , there is a lot of things to learn about human’s being behavior .

Samir Kaouche from Lyon .

And I’m counting on my guests this afternoon to be surprised and pleased that their gracious host (me!) has provided this stylish and appropriate wine for dinner.

What comes up for me (I’m a business coach with a lot of diverse clients) is that successful marketing frequently dispenses with conventional wisdom and creates a new paradigm, simply by saying so. A sow’s ear deftly becomes a silk purse. And cash flow flows! My two bottles might have become Vin Ordinaire and never have left France had it not been for the imagination of M. George DuBoeuf.

In fact, my wine store may become anxious if a lot of bottles with turkeys on the lahel linger after Thanksgiving – ah well, there’s always Christmas!

After I drink the wine with my guests, I plan to distribute this conversation to my clients – perhaps they’ll be able to generate the analog to Beaujolais Nouveau in their businesses.

Craig Jennings

Ok, so are the Beaujolais Nouveau-bathing Japanese I saw in the picture just excited as they can celebrate the release before the French themselves, or is this some type of über wine-snob commentary, proclaiming that the wine is only fit at most to bathe in?

Personally, I think a bit of both.

As I live in France and was exposed to every corner bar/restaurant advertising the release, combined with the image of bathing Japanese in the wine, enjoying a bottle of Champagne seemed the more prudent choice that night.

Au revoir!

Quick note @Eric Aarsen: Actually, not all Beaujolais are light drinking, lower quality wines. Some of the Grands Crus Beaujolais are excellent wines. But never mind my opinion. I agree with Hilary, drink what you like!

But its true, the best clothing brands not always make the best clothes either. That is the marketing principle. Find out what the customer wants to experience and sell him exactly that.

However, from my perspective, wine marketing in the US is under performing because the amount of wine consumption per “wine consumer” is quite low. The marketing budgets dutifully exhausted around the holidays, just reminders us of this inadequacy.

Even business leaders managing the dairy industry have been more successful in increasing consumption of milk at $4/gallon.

Get Milk.

Again, you drew me into the story, well written.

Thanks for the interesting content on Linkedin; sure beats the latest person needing something or other, best to give first, like you are doing.

All the best in your success, if I can help in any way, do not hesitate to ask.

Tom

Beaujolais Nouveau is not good wine, even to my unsophisticated palate. I bet with a little research you can find other Beaujolais (like Cru) that would be even more yummy at your Thanksgiving feast!

(If you genuinely like it, then I apologize. I always tell people to drink what they like and ignore the wine snobs. I’m just encouraging you to expand your horizons a bit )

We have a good joke about it :
“2 people are having a lunch together; one of the guy ask, may I propose to drink a bottle of Beaujolais-Nouveau with our meal; the other one guy anwers, no thank you I would rather prefers some red wine!!”

regards from Paris.

Laurent