English Nouveau compètes with Beaujolais Nouveau

English Nouveau is being released by Sixteen Ridges Vineyard in Herefordshire and Hush Heath Estate in Kent at the same time as this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau.

Beaujolais Nouveau is usually the first wine released in France from this years harvest coming out on the 3rd Thursday of November. But this year two producers, Sixteen Ridges Vineyard in Herefordshire and Hush Heath Estate in Kent are also releasing a wine made using similar techniques. Carbonic Maceration is the special method of wine making that gives the wines low tannins and jammy kirsch and confected bubble gum flavours.

Unlike Beaujolais Nouveau whose wines are often very cheap and made from Gamay grapes, Sixteen Ridges has opted for Pinot Noir Précoce, and early ripening clone of Pinot Noir. Hush Heath's Nouveau, is also made using Pinot Noir, but unlike its Beaujolais counterpart is being sold for a significantly higher price of £20 per bottle.