Beaujolais Nouveau 2026: What It Is and 7 Beaujolais Wines to Drink Instead
Whether Beaujolais Nouveau 2026 is worth buying depends on what you want from the bottle. If you want a party on the third Thursday of November, a young Nouveau does the job; if you want a fresh, light red that still tastes good in January, the rest of Beaujolais does it better. This guide explains Nouveau, then compares seven Beaujolais wines from our catalog by style, price and food, so you can choose what to pour on 19 November.
What is Beaujolais Nouveau?
Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine from Gamay grapes, bottled only six to eight weeks after the harvest and sold the same autumn. Most of it is made by carbonic maceration: whole bunches ferment inside sealed, CO2-filled tanks, which gives a light, very fruity wine with almost no tannin. It is meant to be drunk within a few months, slightly chilled.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2026 is Thursday 19 November. French rules have set the release for 12:01am on the third Thursday of November since 1985, and the day turned into a worldwide event, with parties from Paris to Tokyo.
Beaujolais Nouveau | Beaujolais / Beaujolais-Villages | Beaujolais cru | |
Released | Third Thursday of November | Usually the spring after harvest | Spring after harvest or later |
Taste | Banana, candy, light red fruit | Red berries, fresh, light | More depth, floral, mineral |
Keeps | A few months | One to three years | Several years, some much longer |
Examples in this guide | None | Entries 1-4 | Entries 5-7 |
Nouveau is fun, and it is harder to make well than critics like to say. But it is a small, early slice of a region that makes far more interesting wine the rest of the year, and that is where the seven bottles below come in.
How we chose
We tasted every bottle. Nothing goes into the Glouglou catalog until we have tasted it ourselves.
How the grower farms. Most of these come from organic or biodynamic vineyards and native-yeast ferments.
Food fit. Gamay is one of the best reds with Vietnamese food, so every pick comes with dishes from the table here.
Price. From 710,000 VND for an everyday Beaujolais up to 3.2 million for a top Morgon.
In Vietnam now. Every bottle is in our warehouses and can be delivered within 24 hours.
Light and fresh: closest to Nouveau, but better
If you love Beaujolais Nouveau Day for its light, chillable red, start here. These three are young, juicy and easy, and they hold up long after November.
1. Marcel Lapierre "Raisins Gaulois" 2023 - Best for a Nouveau-style party red & a first natural wine
Producer & region: Domaine Marcel Lapierre, Morgon, Beaujolais (Vin de France)
Grapes: 100% Gamay
Style: light, juicy, strawberry, cherry and raspberry
Farming: organic farming, native yeasts, unfined, unfiltered, minimal sulfur
Price: 1,037,000 VND
Pairs with: bún chả, nem nướng, bánh mì pâté
Serve at: 13-14°C, 20 minutes in the fridge
Best for: the 19 November party, and anyone curious about natural wine
Insider tip: Raisins Gaulois comes from the domaine's young vines, so it is the easiest way to taste a legendary name at an everyday price
Marcel Lapierre was one of the Morgon growers who started the natural wine movement in Beaujolais in the 1980s, working without added sulfur or commercial yeasts. His children Mathieu and Camille now run the domaine. Raisins Gaulois comes from vines around 20 years old on granitic gravel, bottled after a short winter rest without fining or filtering. Read more in our Marcel Lapierre Morgon profile.
It has everything people like about Nouveau: bright red fruit, low tannin and a wine you can drink cold by the glassful. The difference is the farming and the grapes underneath, which give it a crisp, slightly earthy finish instead of the candy note. With smoky bún chả it is very hard to beat.
2. Château Gaillard "Cuvée Alice" Beaujolais-Villages 2023 - Best for the closest style to Nouveau & everyday drinking
Producer & region: Château Gaillard, Beaujolais-Villages
Grapes: 100% Gamay
Style: light, red cherry, raspberry and wild strawberry
Farming: sustainable, old vines
Price: 817,000 VND
Pairs with: gỏi cuốn, cơm gà, gà nướng
Serve at: 13-14°C
Best for: people who like Nouveau's style and want a wine that lasts past Christmas
Insider tip: it is made by semi-carbonic maceration, the same method as Nouveau, so it is the best side-by-side comparison on release night
Beaujolais-Villages covers the hillier, granite-rich villages in the north of the region, where Gamay gets more tension than on the southern flats. Cuvée Alice comes from old vines on granite and sand, fermented whole-bunch in concrete vats with native yeasts and bottled young.
It is the best answer to "what is the difference between Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais-Villages?" Open both on 19 November and the Villages tastes of fruit rather than sweets, with a supple texture that keeps going for another year. It also works with the herbs and rice paper of gỏi cuốn.
3. Jean-Paul Brun "Le Ronsay" 2024 - Best for an everyday Beaujolais & bistro food
Producer & region: Jean-Paul Brun, Domaine des Terres Dorées, Beaujolais AOC
Grapes: 100% Gamay
Style: fresh, red cherry, raspberry and violet
Farming: organic, hand-harvested, native yeasts, no added sugar
Price: 710,000 VND
Pairs with: pizza, charcuterie, bánh xèo
Serve at: 14-15°C
Best for: a house red for November and beyond
Insider tip: Brun makes his Beaujolais the Burgundy way, destemmed and fermented longer, so it tastes of fruit and stone rather than banana
Jean-Paul Brun farms the "golden stones" of southern Beaujolais, the yellow limestone around Charnay that gives his estate its name. He is known for refusing two shortcuts common in the region: adding sugar to the must and using commercial yeasts. Le Ronsay is his classic red, aged in concrete and neutral vessels.
At around 710,000 VND it is the least expensive bottle here, and it shows why the south of Beaujolais deserves better than its reputation. Bright and juicy with a clean finish, it is the bottle to keep in the fridge door for pizza night.
More depth: Beaujolais to keep past January
These four have more structure, more perfume and, in two cases, a few years in bottle already. Three are Beaujolais crus, the ten named villages at the top of the region; all four reward a proper dinner.
4. Domaine de Fa "En Besset" 2019 - Best for a Beaujolais with bottle age & peppery reds
Producer & region: Domaine de Fa (Graillot family), Beaujolais AOC, near Saint-Amour
Grapes: 100% Gamay
Style: juicy and silky, black cherry, raspberry, violet and pepper
Farming: organic and biodynamic farming, hand-harvested
Price: 1,116,000 VND
Pairs with: bò lá lốt, thịt nướng
Serve at: 14-15°C
Best for: anyone who thinks Beaujolais can't age
Insider tip: a 2019 with years of bottle age is rare at this price
Domaine de Fa belongs to the Graillot family, better known for Crozes-Hermitage in the northern Rhône. En Besset is a high-altitude site on granite near Saint-Amour, fermented whole-bunch with native yeasts, then aged in concrete and large oak casks.
The height and the granite keep it fresh, and the Rhône family shows in the peppery edge. With seven years behind it, the fruit has softened into something savory, a good match for the smoke and betel leaf of bò lá lốt.
5. Jean-Paul Brun Fleurie 2024 - Best for a first Beaujolais cru & floral reds
Producer & region: Jean-Paul Brun, Domaine des Terres Dorées, Fleurie
Grapes: 100% Gamay
Style: floral and silky, raspberry, cherry and a little spice
Farming: organic, hand-harvested, native yeasts
Price: 1,532,000 VND
Pairs with: vịt quay, gà luộc
Serve at: 14-15°C
Best for: someone tasting a Beaujolais cru for the first time
Insider tip: Fleurie is the cru most people find easiest to love; start here before moving on to Morgon
Fleurie is one of the ten Beaujolais crus, on pink granite that gives its wines a floral lift, and the name itself suggests flowers. Brun's version is aged in neutral vessels to keep the fruit bright and the texture velvety.
For a first cru, it is the gentlest step up from Nouveau: still fresh and red-fruited, but with a perfume and finish that make you pay attention. It is lovely with roast duck, where the acidity cuts the fat.
6. Domaine de Fa Fleurie "Roche Guillon" 2019 - Best for Pinot Noir drinkers & delicate dishes
Producer & region: Domaine de Fa (Graillot family), Fleurie
Grapes: 100% Gamay
Style: fine and floral, wild strawberry, violet, peony and granite
Farming: organic farming, biodynamic principles, hand-harvested
Price: 1,634,000 VND
Pairs with: chả cá Lã Vọng, cá hấp
Serve at: 15°C
Best for: a Burgundy lover who wants something new
Insider tip: 14 months in large oak foudres plus extra time in bottle make this the most Burgundy-like wine on the list
Roche Guillon is a steep, high-altitude vineyard on granite in Fleurie. Domaine de Fa ferments it whole-bunch with native yeasts, ages it 14 months in big oak casks and holds it back in bottle before release.
If you drink Pinot Noir, this is the Beaujolais that will change your mind about the region. Silky and precise, with violet and mineral notes, it is delicate enough for fish, and the dill and turmeric of chả cá Lã Vọng bring out its floral side.
7. Marcel Lapierre Morgon
"Cuvée Camille" 2023 - Best for a special-occasion Beaujolais & gifting
Producer & region: Domaine Marcel Lapierre, Côte du Py, Morgon
Grapes: 100% Gamay
Style: deep and fresh, wild strawberry, black cherry, violet
Farming: natural fermentation, old vines
Price: 3,225,000 VND
Pairs with: bò sốt vang, roast chicken
Serve at: 15-16°C
Best for: the bottle you open after the party is over
Insider tip: Côte du Py is the most famous hill in Morgon; its blue schist gives a darker, firmer Gamay that keeps for years
Cuvée Camille comes from old Lapierre vines on Côte du Py, the volcanic hill at the heart of Morgon, where Gamay roots reach down into blue schist. It is fermented naturally and aged gently, like everything at the domaine.
This is Beaujolais at its most serious, and still with the energy that made Lapierre famous. Dark cherry and violet, fine tannins and a long finish make it a good partner for slow-cooked beef in red wine, and a bottle worth keeping a few years.
Planning a Beaujolais night? For restaurants, bars and hotels running a Beaujolais Nouveau Day menu, we can put together a Beaujolais flight from these growers and deliver it within 24 hours anywhere in Vietnam. Talk to our team.
FAQs
What is Beaujolais Nouveau? Beaujolais Nouveau is a young red wine made from Gamay and sold only weeks after the harvest. It is made mostly by carbonic maceration, which gives it a light, fruity taste with almost no tannin, and it should be drunk within a few months.
When is Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2026? Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2026 is Thursday 19 November. The wine is released at 12:01am on the third Thursday of November every year.
What is the difference between Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais-Villages? Nouveau is bottled weeks after harvest and made to drink right away. Beaujolais-Villages comes from the better hillside villages, is released later and keeps for a year or more; Château Gaillard's Cuvée Alice is a good example.
Should Beaujolais be served chilled? Yes, lightly. Serve Nouveau and young Beaujolais at about 13-14°C, around 20 minutes in the fridge in Vietnam's heat, and crus such as Fleurie or Morgon a little warmer, at 15-16°C.
Is natural Beaujolais different? Natural Beaujolais is made with native yeasts and little or no added sulfur, and it often tastes fresher and less candied than mass-market Nouveau. Marcel Lapierre's Raisins Gaulois is the classic place to start.
Where can I buy Beaujolais in Vietnam? Glouglou imports Beaujolais from growers including Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Paul Brun and Domaine de Fa, and delivers anywhere in Vietnam within 24 hours from warehouses in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and Nha Trang.
Find the Beaujolais that fits your November
For the release-day party, pour Raisins Gaulois or Cuvée Alice cold. For a dinner that goes past midnight, open a Fleurie. And for the bottle that proves Beaujolais is more than one Thursday, keep a Cuvée Camille aside. Browse our red wines and order before 19 November.
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