Episode description

Today in Wine News

It’s the third Thursday of November, which means Beaujolais Nouveau can now make its way into the hands and glasses of eager consumers ready for the first taste of the 2024 harvest. Decades after Beaujolais producer Georges Duboeuf popularized the style and made it an unofficial wine holiday, producers from around the world are now starting to make young, easy drinking wines out of any and all colored grapes.

Will today’s wine drinkers embrace Beaujolais Nouveau as much as previous generations? And what will this year’s crop of Nouveau wines say about the state of the 2024 harvest around the world?

Keep listening to learn more.

It’s Thursday, November 21.

Further Reading

* “The California nouveau wine craze shows no signs of slowing down” (Esther Mobley/San Francisco Chronicle)

* Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! 2024 Nouveau Wines

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In Other News

Here are some highlights from the week:

Estonian sommelier Mikk Parre has won the ASI Best Sommelier in Europe, Africa, and Middle East competition for 2024. Two additional finalists - New York-based French sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier and Lithuanian sommelier Martynas Pravilovis - were awarded second and third place respectively.

* “How Mikk Parre became ASI Best Sommelier Europe, Africa & ME” (David Kermode/The Buyer)

French grape growers protested the low shelf price of Côtes-du-Rhône wines by smashing bottles outside grocery stores in the Rhône Valley. French farmers took umbrage with Lidl supermarkets for pricing select Côtes-du-Rhône wines at less than $2 per bottle, a significant loss, and started smashing bottles of the “cheap wine” in front of Lidl stores in Orange and Bagnols-sur-Cèze last week. 

* “Angry French grape growers smash bottles outside Lidl” (Martin Green/Decanter)

And finally, China has become the 51st nation to be represented in the International Organization of Vine and Wine, or OIV. The OIV is known for shaping guidelines on viticulture and other aspects of the wine trade.

* “An Accused Russian Counterfeiter and Burgundy Bottles Filled With Italian Wine” (Suzanne Mustacich/Wine Spectator)

* Revisit The Wine Press’ Oct. 17 episode, The Soft Power of Wine

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That’s all the news this week. Thank you for listening to The Wine Press!

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Thanks to Tasha Molchanova DipWSET for providing additional research for this episode, and to Enrico Banson for supplying the music for this and every episode of The Wine Press.

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the United States, so enjoy a glass of Nouveau with a side of turkey and stuffing. We’ll be back in two weeks with a new crop of wine news. Until then, cheers and happy drinking!