Key points
- Beaujolais Nouveau goes on sale Thursday, November 19, 2026, with celebrations across France and throughout the wine region.
- Beaujeu’s Sarmentelles festival runs November 18–22, while about 700 wine merchants are expected to join nationwide tastings.
- Hail and summer heat reduced yields in several areas, but individual estate estimates do not establish the final Nouveau supply.
- This young Gamay is intended for early drinking; serve it slightly chilled, with food rather than years of cellar aging.
Contents
Beaujolais Nouveau arrives in France on Thursday, November 19, 2026, two weeks from now. Wine shops, restaurants and bars will open the new vintage, while villages in the Beaujolais region organize celebrations stretching into the weekend.
The launch follows the third-Thursday-in-November calendar confirmed by Inter Beaujolais, the regional wine industry organization. For visitors and expatriates, there are two ways to participate: find a neighborhood tasting or travel to the vineyard festivities. This year, the celebrations follow a growing season that left some producers with sharply reduced volumes.
Beaujolais Nouveau is young Gamay, not a cru
Nouveau means new: the wine reaches customers only weeks after the grapes are harvested. It comes from the Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages appellations, the regulated geographical designations printed on bottles, and uses Gamay for its red and rosé wines.
It is only one part of the region’s production.
The wider Beaujolais vineyard includes ten crus, named growing areas such as Brouilly, Chénas and Moulin-à-Vent. Those names should not be treated as alternative labels for Nouveau: the annual release belongs to the two regional appellations. The distinction matters when discussing harvest losses in individual crus.
The third Thursday is the shared market-release date, rather than a date chosen separately by each grower. That explains why celebrations can begin Wednesday evening and continue through midnight into Thursday, even though the wine bears the same year as the harvest.
Nouveau is usually served slightly chilled and is known for fresh fruit and gentle tannins. Think of a bottle for the coming months, rather than a purchase intended for prolonged aging.
As general pairing suggestions, try roast chicken, soft cheese or a charcuterie plate. These are options, not rules: choose food you enjoy and ask the merchant about the particular producer’s style.
Wine shops offer tastings across France
About 700 merchants are expected to participate in Rendez-vous Beaujolais chez les cavistes, according to Lyon Mag, reporting the interprofessional organization’s plans. A caviste is a specialist wine retailer; its tasting can be a simpler option than arranging a vineyard trip.
The program extends beyond the producing region.
For someone staying in Lyon, a neighborhood wine bar or merchant offers an alternative to a late-night excursion. Travelers elsewhere in France can use the same approach without heading to Lyon first.
| Setting | Best for | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Wine shop | Comparing producers | Tasting hours |
| Bar or restaurant | A glass with food | Reservations and menu |
| Village festival | A regional visit | Tickets and return transport |
Before committing to an outing:
- Confirm the venue’s 2026 event date and opening hours.
- Ask whether the tasting requires a booking.
- Check which producers are featured and arrange your return journey.
Prices vary by shop, producer and bottle. A nationwide launch date does not mean a nationwide price or identical availability.
Beaujeu and Tarare celebrate beyond release night
The Sarmentelles organizer confirms festivities in Beaujeu from Wednesday, November 18, through Sunday, November 22. Its program includes tastings, concerts, markets and meals, giving visitors several alternatives to the opening night.
Tarare, in the south of the vineyard, holds its own Fête du Beaujolais Gourmand, built around a dinner prepared by regional chefs. Check the organizer’s 2026 schedule before travelling.
The wider regional lineup includes the Beaujolais International Marathon and Gleizé’s Fête des Saveurs. These are separate events, so check each organizer’s program rather than assuming every activity happens on Thursday.
The industry describes the launch period as attracting tens of thousands of visitors in a typical year. That is a measure of the event’s established scale, not a confirmed attendance total for this edition.
Hail and heat leave an uneven harvest
In its August 28 harvest report, Bourgogne Aujourd’hui documented damage from June and July hailstorms and the effects of repeated heat waves. Château de la Chaize, in Odenas, expected no more than 20 hectoliters per hectare on its hail-hit crus, while a Chénas producer anticipated slightly above 25. A grower in Châtillon-d’Azergues, in the south, expected 35–40.
These are local estimates, not a single regional yield.
The contrast helps explain why a smaller harvest need not produce identical shortages everywhere. Producers quoted in the report also flagged potential alcohol above 14% and low malic acidity, which complicate winemaking. Neither concentration nor low volume alone guarantees the finished wine’s quality.
For scale, industry figures for 2025 put Nouveau sales at 104,000 hectoliters, approximately 13.8 million bottles: 21% of regional wine sales. France accounted for about nine million bottles, while roughly 4.9 million went abroad to more than 100 countries. Those figures describe last year’s business, not the forthcoming allocation.
For 2026, tighter availability remains a possibility for particular producers. Ask a merchant about the bottle you want rather than assuming a general shortage or an automatic price increase. The November release will provide the next opportunity to assess both the finished wines and the selections actually reaching shops.