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A ''nouveau'' ( ), or ''vin (de) primeur'', is a wine which may be sold in the same year in which it was harvested. The most widely exported ''nouveau'' wine is French wine Beaujolais ''nouveau'' which is released on the third Thursday of November, often only a few weeks after the grapes were harvested. ''Nouveau'' wines are often light bodied and paler in color due to the very short (or nonexistent) maceration period followed by a similarly short
fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...
. The wines will most likely not be exposed to any oak or extended aging prior to being released to the market. ''Nouveau'' wines are characteristically fruity and may have some
residual sugar The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness, whil ...
. They are at their peak drinkability within the first year. As of 2005, there were 55 AOCs in France permitted to make ''nouveau'' wines.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 56 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ''Vins de primeur'' should not be confused with the practice of buying and selling wines '' en primeur''. In Italy, ''nouveau'' wine is called "'' Vino Novello''".


See also

* List of vins de primeur * Federweisser * Vino Novello * Vinho Verde


References

{{italic title French wine Wine styles