Les Sarmentelles and the Joy of Beaujolais Nouveau

Jasmine Grace
Oct 10
2 min read

French is well known for its wines, many different regional wines, such as Bordeaux, Champagne, and, of course, the Beaujolais Nouveau from Beaujeu. Beaujolais nouveau is a relatively unique and very seasonal wine. It is a young wine, enjoyed after only a few weeks of fermentation. This delightfully fruity drink is celebrated as a marker of the end of the year's harvest. While parties are held all over the world, nowhere else are the festivities as great as at Les Sarmentelles in Beaujeu.

Les Sarmentelles

Sarmentelles, in English, means the grape vine shoots, or branches, but it is also the name of the annual five day festival held in Beaujeu, in the Beaujolais region of France. There are parades and dinners and performances and even a wine tasting contest, where the prizes are, of course, all wines. There is even a procession by torchlight and a ceremonious opening of wine barrels at midnight, when the wine is officially ready for release.

Festivities at this season of year go back hundreds of years, but les sarmentelles in particular has been running successfully for about three decades. This festival coincides with the end of the grape harvest, and with the release of the year's Beaujolais Nouveau. Wine critics view this wine sometimes as silly or frivolous, and others claim it is a delight to taste, and no one can deny the joy and festivities surrounding its release. Beaujolais Nouveau is released every year on the third Thursday of November, and not a moment sooner, as dictated by French law. For a long time, this wine was a simple treat and a quiet celebration for winegrowers to mark the end of the harvest season. The official release date of the wine was December fifteenth, until laws were changed in 1951 to allow the wine to be released earlier, and for winegrowers to promote this release with more enthusiasm, and for this wine to become the heart of great festivities for all.

This wine is for many a symbolism of community, where friends and family gather to share the simple joys of life. Beaujolais Nouveau is the spirit of the season, a celebration of great food and drink and company, and an occasion for festivities around the world.

If you would like to partake in this delightful tradition, join the Franco-American Centre on November 22nd for an elegant evening dedicated to the celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau and all the festivities and joy that accompany it.