Beaujolais Nouveau wine hit by provide chain issues

WASHINGTON – Yearly on the third Thursday of November, at precisely 12:01 a.m., the French launch their celebrated first wine of the harvest — the crisp and fruity Beaujolais Nouveau.

This yr, American oenophiles woke as much as a Beaujolais Nouveau market hampered by provide chain issues which have change into all-too-common in right this moment’s financial system, significantly driver shortages and different transport points.

And all of that interprets into value will increase for suppliers and customers alike.

“There are positively points with the availability chain. There’s at all times an issue with containers and there is at all times an issue with house on ships, however it’s been actually tough this yr,” mentioned Dennis Kreps, co-founder of importer Quintessential Wines, which is predicated in California’s Napa Valley.

The market was already at a drawback resulting from local weather issues. Beaujolais Nouveau manufacturing was down almost 50% this yr due to spring frost and hail, adopted by a drought.

“It is sort of a phenomenon that is taking place worldwide proper now,” Kreps mentioned. “I do know a few of the numbers in France particularly are down dramatically throughout all areas. Beaujolais was one of many hardest hit.”

Kreps, the unique U.S. importer of distinguished wine service provider Georges Duboeuf, coordinates with a small crew on the colossal logistics of distributing the wine to American retailers on the exact French schedule.

In Beaujolais, thought of a subregion of Burgundy, vineyards carpet roughly 42,000 acres of low granite hills north of Lyon in jap France.

Right here is the place thin-skinned magenta gamay grapes are queen and Georges Duboeuf is king.

Duboeuf, affectionately referred to as “Papa of Beaujolais,” has the gamay grapes hand-harvested in September. Then follows a fast fermentation and bottling in October.

The Beaujolais Nouveau wine – usually gentle in physique with a juicy fruit-forward palate – is then shipped all over the world and staged for its November debut.

First, Beaujolais suppliers wanted to safe containers to start transport. Then they had been involved about delays on the ports.

“You’ll be able to’t management the backlog on the ports,” Kreps mentioned.

One ship was rerouted from New York to Norfolk, Virginia, resulting from a serious backup, he mentioned. The ship destined for New York usually carries nearly all of the wine meant to be distributed throughout the nation, Kreps added.

“We then needed to reroute all the drivers and the vehicles from New York right down to Norfolk after which get the containers off the ship and get these guys rolling to the West Coast instantly,” Kreps mentioned.

Additionally they had issues hiring certified drivers resulting from a labor scarcity, he mentioned.

“We have by no means had a difficulty earlier than, however one truck had a flip over so the whole lot on that container was misplaced,” he mentioned. “So, sadly, all of the wine for Arkansas was misplaced, many of the wine for Memphis was misplaced, and I feel a big portion of the wine for West Virginia was misplaced.”

But even with all the availability and manufacturing issues – freight prices have tripled and the price of the fruit itself was considerably increased, as properly – a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau will promote this yr for under a barely increased retail worth than typical, Kreps mentioned.

“We had already dedicated to pricing to all of our wholesalers, the wholesalers name the retailers, the retailers had then dedicated portions,” he mentioned. “Now’s not the time to return to them with a price enhance. So we labored with the vineyard and ate the fee.”

Kreps did have a constructive message for the people who find themselves in a position to get their arms on a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau: Regardless of all of the difficulties with the availability chain and the small harvest, he mentioned, “the standard is improbable.”