Quite simply, a nouveau is a wine released the same year its grapes are harvested. The tradition began in the Beaujolais region of France as an early release wine to celebrate the end of harvest but eventually spread to the general public for consumption. The popularity of Beaujolais Nouveau sky-rocketed in the 1960’s with a race to see who could get the first bottle to Paris. Since then nouveau style wines have been celebrated around the world and now we’re excited to announce we’re bringing this wine tradition to Dancing Dragonfly Winery.
Our newest wine, Dragonfly Nouveau is slated for release this November and is being made using carbonic maceration, the traditional fermentation method used in Beaujolais. When using standard fermentation the grapes are crushed then yeast is pitched to begin fermentation. In carbonic maceration, whole berries are fermented in an anaerobic environment (an environment without oxygen) rich with carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide initiates fermentation in each grape. This means most of the juice is fermented while still inside the berry. The grapes at the bottom of the tank are an exception. These grapes will experience traditional fermentation as they are crushed by the weight of the clusters on top of them. A low tannin, fruity wine is the result.
Our premier vintage of Dragonfly Nouveau will be made using this traditional method on Marquette, a cold climate grape variety featured in many of our red wines. Following with the Beaujolais Nouveau standard, this wine will be available on the third Thursday of November. It makes the perfect addition to harvest festivities, including your Thanksgiving table. This special, limited release wine will not last long, be sure to enjoy your bottle before the end of the year.
Our newest wine, Dragonfly Nouveau is slated for release this November and is being made using carbonic maceration, the traditional fermentation method used in Beaujolais. When using standard fermentation the grapes are crushed then yeast is pitched to begin fermentation. In carbonic maceration, whole berries are fermented in an anaerobic environment (an environment without oxygen) rich with carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide initiates fermentation in each grape. This means most of the juice is fermented while still inside the berry. The grapes at the bottom of the tank are an exception. These grapes will experience traditional fermentation as they are crushed by the weight of the clusters on top of them. A low tannin, fruity wine is the result.
Our premier vintage of Dragonfly Nouveau will be made using this traditional method on Marquette, a cold climate grape variety featured in many of our red wines. Following with the Beaujolais Nouveau standard, this wine will be available on the third Thursday of November. It makes the perfect addition to harvest festivities, including your Thanksgiving table. This special, limited release wine will not last long, be sure to enjoy your bottle before the end of the year.
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