November 17

George Duboeuf, businessman and sometime winemaker from Burgundy, France, has yet again convinced Japan to fork out millions of yen on what is essentially a wine unsuitable for drinking. The astute Duboeuf has been setting Japanese consumers up for years with the ruse that Beaujolais Nouveau is a drinking wine that comes out only when ready each year.

Despite Beaujolais Nouveau being an early release of the year's vintage for merchants to decide what to buy and how many cases, in Japan the release of Nouveau has become the winelover's equivalent of Christmas.
"Very drinkable," says one consumer at a Tokyo supermarket. "Highly drinkable."
"Seems pretty drinkable to me," says another. "Pretty drinkable indeed."
"A drinkable vintage," explains the manager with a glass up his nose. "And displaying many signs of drinkability."

So for another year, wine drinkers will fork out 3,000 yen or more for a bottle of unaged wine whose best possible characteristic is that it can be drunk. George Duboeuf could not be reached for comment as he was "a la banque".

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