How Long Is Beaujolais Nouveau Good For?

You’ve cracked open your first bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau and enjoyed a glass or two. However, there is still a little bit left in the bottle; should you dump it or should you keep it? Should you preserve the bottle?

Beaujolais Nouveau lasts for between six months to a year. You should consume bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau within two to three years of bottling before it goes bad. Beaujolais Nouveau does not age well and you should drink it as soon as possible.

Although Beaujolais Nouveau doesn’t last as long as others, it’s still a delicious wine that many people enjoy. Therefore, knowing it’s ideal drinking and storing time is essential. Let’s dive right into the discussion about how to store this wine and how you can get the most out of one bottle.

Beaujolais

Shelf Life of Beaujolais Nouveau

Beaujolais Nouveau can be a complex wine to store and preserve. However, if you know what to do, you’ll have no issues getting the most out of your bottle. You can enjoy your Beaujolais for longer than most and enjoy everything this revived varietal has to offer!

Can You Drink an Old Beaujolais?

You can drink an old Beaujolais, but it will not taste very good. Beaujolais should be drunk within the first year of purchasing, ideally within the first six months. After that point, it will start losing flavor and go bad.

Like other light red wines, Beaujolais is best enjoyed within the first couple of years of buying. Some varieties are even meant to be drunk within the first two to three months after buying. The wine has a shorter shelf life than many others, and each winery has different recommendations.

Many wineries will include consumption instructions on the label, but if there aren’t any, you should look online to see what any reviewers have to say. They might have valuable tips to implement into your care and keeping of Beaujolais Nouveau.

For example, they may give you a specific timeframe to drink the wine by. Following these guidelines will provide you with the best flavor experience, and you can enjoy the wine at its peak.

When Is the Best Time To Drink Beaujolais Nouveau?

The best time to drink Beaujolais Nouveau is whenever the winery has recommended it. Some vineyards produce wine that is only suitable for consumption a few months after production and others can last for years.

Beaujolais Nouveau is typically produced in the late spring and early summer with final releases in November. Since most bottles of Beaujolais wine are designed to be drunk in the first months after it was bottled, Beaujolais is best enjoyed as a winter or spring wine.

The best time to enjoy Beaujolais Nouveau is on a hot summer day, where you can feel refreshed and rejuvenated by the bright berry flavors of this wine. Chilling your Beaujolais Nouveau will make it even more refreshing for you and your friends.

Does Beaujolais Age Well?

Beaujolais wines do not age well. Most bottles will only taste good for a year or less. It would be best if you drank your bottle of Beaujolais as soon as possible for optimal flavor and results.

While this wine can sometimes be kept for multiple years, that is incredibly rare. Only the most impressive Beaujolais can be kept for more than one year. These are difficult to produce, store, and can be very expensive, especially in the United States.

Even the best bottles of Beaujolais will only last three years. So, if you’d like to age a wine, you should look at one of the heavier red wines, like a Cabernet Sauvignon. These have the acidity and high tannins needed to age well.

Tannins and acidity are the two most significant factors in wine’s age. The higher the acidity and tannins, the better a wine typically ages. However, all varieties of Beaujolais are low in tannins like other light red wines.

This, combined with their seasonal nature, makes for a wine that you can store, but never for more than a year. Therefore, you should not try to preserve a bottle of Beaujolais for more than two years.

How To Store Beaujolais

Storing Beaujolais wine during its peak is easier than you might expect. All you need is the right know-how and understanding of how wines age. You’ll also need space and the right tools to preserve your bottle correctly.

Storing unopened and opened wines are two very different processes and knowing them both can maximize your wine’s shelf life. This will give you the longest time and, thus, the best deal for your dollar.

best beaujolais wine

Storing Unopened Beaujolais

Storing your Beaujolais wine when it has been unopened is much easier than when it is opened. You don’t need to worry about the bottle spilling or opening up, and you also don’t need to worry about transporting it.

If you want to cellar your bottle of Beaujolais, you should find a dark, cool space with consistent air pressure and humidity levels. These conditions will keep your wine from decaying for as long as possible. A cellar is the best choice for this type of storage.

That being said, Beaujolais Nouveau is not a good cellar wine, so you should still drink it within a year. After that point, you’ll notice the flavor quality decrease and the color-changing as well. Particulates may also increase and change the mouthfeel of this wine.

A kitchen cabinet or wine rack will work just as well to keep your wine safe and at top quality. There are no other major caretaking notes; keep your wine out of direct sunlight and avoid significant temperature or pressure changes.

Storing Beaujolais in the Fridge

The best place to store your Beaujolais wine after it has been open is in the fridge. Not only will this stop the overall oxidation process, but it will also keep the wine at the ideal temperature for drinking.

Beaujolais wines are best enjoyed when chilled, and if your wine has been sitting in the fridge for a while, then you can pull the bottle out without waiting. You can pour a glass and go.

Once the bottle has been opened, you should only keep the wine for a maximum of four days. The oxidation process will continue even with the best airtight seals and cool temperatures. They will not stop your opened bottle of wine from becoming vinegar.

Conclusion

Beaujolais Nouveau is a delicious French wine variety perfect for enjoying during the summer or within six months of purchasing. However, keeping it from oxidizing can be difficult. If you keep the bottle in a cool place, you should be able to maximize the lifespan and get the most out of your investment.

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