Why does Beaujolais Nouveau cause real hysteria in Japan?

On this third Thursday of November, when the time for Beaujolais Nouveau strikes, the French are far from being the most impatient to taste the most famous of early wines. In Japan, his arrival does not have the same taste since a real ceremony accompanies it. The country represents almost half of exports, just that. Expected by the Japanese at midnight, Beaujolais Nouveau is celebrated in particular through large collective baths… filled with Beaujolais Nouveau! Videos are circulating widely on social networks where we can see Japanese amateurs toasting, glass in hand, while bathing in water tinted with the color of the drink, into which they have indeed poured a few bottles. But where does such enthusiasm come from?

Primacy over the event

If the Japanese have such a strong link with the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau and are among the main importers, it is first and foremost because they are the first in the world to be able to taste it. Japan is 8 hours ahead of France, and is the first country to start this famous third Thursday in November. “Since the mid-90s, it's been a bit of a fashion to go and taste Beaujolais Nouveau first. From 9 a.m. or 10 a.m., you can go buy bottles, and the restaurateurs will serve this wine as an accompaniment that day. It's a really special day for us», says Seika Hosokawa, an independent sommelier from the country.

Beyond a simple trend, the aromatic profile of this fluid and fruity wine particularly appeals to the Japanese. “The small goes very well with Japanese cuisine, because there is a lot of acidity and little tannins,” adds the sommelier. According to Keiichiri Miyagawa, also a sommelier from Japan, this wine is also a great success due to its unbeatable price. “In Japan, Beaujolais Nouveau sells for around 4,950 yen, which amounts to around 30 euros. And for the Japanese it is not expensive at all for a wine exported from France and which they consider to be of good quality.» The latter specifies that the bottles must be reserved up to two months before his arrival, such is the enthusiasm.

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Health benefits?

But if the Japanese devote a true cult to Beaujolais Nouveau, to the point of bathing in entire swimming pools, it is also for the virtues they attribute to it. “The Japanese tend to think that Beaujolais Nouveau is good for health, particularly for the skin. It contains tannins and polyphenols which are antioxidants that they consider very beneficial», explains Seika Hosokawa. Indeed, wine has aesthetic benefits that do not leave Japanese women indifferent. This process, called “vinotherapy”, consists of using wine, its grains, marc or even must to extract the skin benefits they provide, in particular the slowing down of skin aging.