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Beaujolais Nouveau

The new Beaujolais has arrived!

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The third Thursday in November is when this year's Beaujolais hits the shelves and is cause for celebration across France.

Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine made from Gamay grapes, fermented for just a few weeks before being being distributed to bars, shops and restaurants.

The wine may not be to everyone's taste but "Beaujolais Nouveau Day" has become an annual tradition, with many bars in Alpe d'Huez holding wine tasting sessions.

History

Beaujolais Nouveau was originally made to celebrate the end of the harvest and was generally just considered as a cheap wine to be swigged amongst the locals. In 1937 the Beaujolais region was awarded the AOC (certification of authentic regional produce) and the AOC rules decreed that Beaujolais wine could only be sold after a certain date in the year that it had been harvested. Rather than being a restrictive rule, Beaujolais producers saw this as an excellent opportunity to market a perfectly ordinary wine as something special and created a race to Paris carrying the first bottles of the new vintage. This became a massive celebration that spread to other countries and now the third Thursday in November sees us all racing to try the latest plonk.

Latest News & Reviews

Find out all about what is happening in Allpe d'Huez and how to make the most of your time here. The latest news, reviews of fun activities, current events and the trendiest restaurants, as well as interviews with leading locals, insider's guides and our top choices for things to do, see and experience in the valley. Plus, during the winter season, our famous snow reports and dump alerts all in the same place.

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Alpe d'Huez hosts a wide range of events throughout the year. In the winter, you can expect motor racing on ice, comedy festivals, ski races and various live music gigs. During the summer months, the focus turns to cycling with the Tour de France usually passing through town. The Megavalanche, a mass-start mountain bike race that draws thousands of MTB fans from around the world, takes place in July.

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