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Beaujolais Nouveau goes on sale across Japan

27 Comments

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This is the proof Japanese people are CLUELESS about wine. Yes, Beaujolais sucks. I'll have a glass of water instead.

25 ( +25 / -0 )

The article says' for wine buffs'. Wine buffs don't bother with beaujolais. There are plenty of wine shops in Japan for real buffs where you won't see this overpriced plonk on sale.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

I would've believed Jean Bourjade of the Beaujolais trade board if he had said: "This year, with the primeur (early release) wines - as with every year's vintage - we have achieved all the characteristics we make every year. That is, dull, boring and fresh with lots of water."

3 ( +3 / -0 )

“Beaujolais nouveau is an initiation wine,” adds Bourjade.

That's an understatement. You can easily get a far better wine for as low as ¥500 if you know where and what to look for.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Every year when I see this, I think 2 things:

Wow, how are all these people so easily caught up in the marketing? Most of the people talking about it on Facebook and etc. aren't wine drinkers, yet they're treating this like a major holiday. Don't they realize it's all just a marketing scheme?

Wow, hats off to Beaujolais Nouveau for coming up with such a marketing scheme!
4 ( +4 / -0 )

Shhhh don't tell Japanese people it's just like cats urine or they will find the good stuff and the price will go up from ¥500 to ¥600 for a decent drop.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

it's just like cats urine

You know this how?

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

the french winemakers are laughing all the way to the bank.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Sure, Beaujolais is a little overpriced due to the hype around it. And wine snobs may not love it. But gentlemen, you're missing the point! Use the Beaujolais aura! Every year it comes out I have Beaujolais parties and cook some "French" food together with Reiko, then Miki, then Haruka, then Yoko, then Sachie, then Kana, then Aki, then.... Beaujolais, can't you make another stellar product like this one?

-6 ( +5 / -11 )

Alas, Beaujolais Nouveau way more a marketing gimmick than anything else. It's way more hit-and-miss in terms of wine quality--though sometimes you do get a surprisingly good year for the wine.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

It's great that there is something like this to put a little zing in what is Groundhog Day + 10 , imagin a life that does not have a crap wine event once a year, how sad would that be?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I think you could quite literally sell bottles of actual piss in Japan, with a foreign name and enough forced marketing and spin, and it'd catch on. Have a few banal 'variety' shows on TV with some bowl-cut dimwit 'talents' taking a few sips and proclaiming how 'umai~!!' it is, and I have no doubts it'd be a winner.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

“Beaujolais nouveau is an initiation wine,” adds Bourjade.

i think he meant to say "imitation" and not "initiation."

0 ( +3 / -3 )

What's up with the 5 year old kids in that soiree photo? Aren't they a little young to be getting shlockered in a hot tub with a bunch of bikini clad obasans? Oh, I forgot this is Japan.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Perhaps part of the appeal is that most Japanese people can pronounce "Beaujolais" with confidence. Anyway, when I was much younger, I was happy to drink Boones Farm, Annie Greenspring and Ripple. Beaujolais Nouveau is a gateway wine.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

pizzatime - You are soooooo right! Talk about wine stupidity. This onsen picture proves it. Another wine stupidity about the Japanese is they chill red wine. A big No! No!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Great comments everybody, I cannot think of a snarkier one so will desist and go back to my decent glass.

I never stooped to Ripple etc,, but there was a great plonk called Cribari in California back when.

Shockingly but not too surprisingly Carlo Rossi is also very big here.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I agree with Steve Fabricant about the great comments. I'm a wine buff with a reasonably good and diverse cellar, and I would never put a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau in it, nor would I serve it to guests. In Japan, most celebratory occasions have considerably deeper meaning. But, what the h*ll, any excuse for a party, right?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

How happy are the wine makers to have the Japanese suckered into guzzling that grape juice?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Wow, so many Elite wine connaisseurs in here. Come on, people, let them drink the Beaujolais, what's wrong with that? As we all know, it's like with music or whatever, there's no way to discuss about taste. Personally I drink mostly swiss (my homecountry, wine from there is only for the homemarket), french and italian wine quite often. But if my neighbour will offer me a glass of the BN, I wouldn't refuse... Live and let live...

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I don't think it is anyone's business how people choose to spend their own money.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

I believe France sends their lower quality stuff here. Nothing wrong with getting into the spirit of things, but I wouldn't pay more than about ¥500 a bottle for most of those that you see in convenience stores and supermarkets...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Beaujolais nouveau is an initiation wine

Sure is. Look at those little kids mimicking the adults with glasses raised

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Pochan: absolutely!

And if people have fun celebrating it, worth the extra bucks vs. the quality. In a country where you can spend easily as much as 10,000 for a melon, 2,500 for a regular but "cool" bottle of wine is reasonable.

Cheers!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

As long as they spend money & contribute to economy, who cares?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Heck no, I always quaf Beaujolais when I'm eating at McD's. Plunk for plonk, sez I.

Honestly, I don't care what people are doing if it makes them happy and harms nobody else. But I am amused to watch the marketing frenzy over things.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Agreed with "shinhiyata", the promo-picture showing Kids in a bath of what is supposedly the stuff, raising a Glass of it.. (with the intent of drinking it) is surely in poor Taste... ;-)

Maybe they're promoting it as a safer to drink Bath salt ?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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