Beaujolais Nouveau is one of the best

DESPITE last weekend’s terror attacks, bars in Paris across the country celebrated the arrival of the 2015 Beaujolais Nouveau last night – with many hailing it as the best for years.

With aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, cherry and, often, banana it has a refreshing bright but rounder flavour and markedly less acidic. The wine is stronger than is usual – up to 14.% - due to the spring and summer weather: wet in spring and then record sunshine in summer, especially July.

Leading winemaker Georges Duboeuf said the 2015 wine was even better than the 2009, which he had thought was the best he had tasted – he said it was “blessed by God”.

It had been a difficult decision for bar owners but the announcement that the traditional barrel opening ceremony would continue in Lyon’s Place des Terreaux led the way.

One Beaujolais Nouveau producer, Philippe Marx, told Challenges news site: “This is our culture, to be together. Wine is something we share."

Wine website La Revue du Vin de France rated many of the wines and said its top three were: Olivier Coquard's Culotte de Velours (Carrefour - €7.50), Georges Dubœuf's Beaujolais Nouveau (Monoprix - €7.45) and André Vonnier's Beaujolais Nouveau (exclusively to the trade at Metro - €3.35).

However, production of the wine made almost exclusively from hand-picked Gamay grapes Gamay noir à jus blanc is down on previous years and not just because of the hot and sunny summer which cut production by 20%.

Up until 2000 about 23,000 hectares was given over the Beaujolais Nouveau but this has since tumbled to just above 17,000ha with 930 winemakers – but still enough to send more than six million bottles to Japan, which is the world’s leading customer.

Le #beaujolaisnouveau : une partie de L'art de vivre français! #winelover #winemaker pic.twitter.com/urw6OxFpp1— georgesduboeuf (@georges_duboeuf) November 20, 2015

#BeaujolaisNouveau celebrations were incredible throughout #France and in Paris in response to the terrorist attacks pic.twitter.com/g7XK0wHLrj— Jean Bourjade (@JEBO38) November 20, 2015