First bottles of 2017 New Beaujolais wine uncorked

This year’s vintage is expected to be especially “fruity”, with a “good length on the mouthfeel”, according to French news source 20 Minutes.

New Beaujolais is traditionally opened on the third Thursday of November, and the first symbolic bottles of the vintage, usually made with black Gamay and Pinot Noir, have now been tasted.

Beaujolais is usually a light-bodied red wine, from the region of the same name, just above Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes and southern Saône-et-Loire.

The 2017 vintage has been described as offering hints of “strawberry, blackcurrant and banana”, and may be a “surprising [experience] for a less-seasoned” taster.

And yet, despite its status as a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wine, and the prolific production of the region, Beaujolais is sometimes seen as less popular in France than others kinds, and often seen as having to work hard to compete against other more-favoured varieties.

Oddly enough, in Japan, Beaujolais is actually extremely popular, and there is even a regular wine festival in honour of the variety. This year will celebrate its 66th anniversary, with some revellers even set to take communal baths of the wine to celebrate the new bottles’ arrival.