Today, the 3rd Thursday in November is the official Beaujolais Nouveau Day.

According to the French law, at 12:01 AM this morning, the wine-makers in the Beaujolais Region of France (north of Lyon) are allowed to release this year’s fresh Beaujolais wine and bring it to the market.

This tradition started in France in the last century. The wine-makers who were trying to find a way to bring their wines to the market early and make some quick money after the fall harvest devised a special fermentation process so that the wine could be ready in just a few weeks after the grape harvest. On this day, the wine-makers used to put their wines on their carts and rush to Paris and shout: “Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé (the new Beaujolais has arrived!)”

Beaujolais Nouveau is a young and fresh red wine which goes well with your Thanksgiving turkey or your vegetarian dishes. It sells at about $10-15 per bottle.