French term (also primeur or filius) for a quickly fermented young and uncomplicated wine that is bottled in the year of harvest and is intended for quick consumption (for some wines this is recommended within a few weeks). In the case of a red wine, the maceration lasts only a few days. These sparkling and fruity wines became popular through the successful Beaujolais Nouveau in the 1970s, first in France and later in many other countries. In Italy, Novello and in Spain, Joven have the same meaning.
In France, there are several appellations with Nouveau/Primeur variants, such as Côtes du Rhône, Gaillac, Languedoc, Touraine and Ventoux. Beaujolais Nouveau may be marketed from the third Thursday in November, while IGP Nouveau(country wine) may be marketed from the third Thursday in October. In most cases, a Nouveu is a red wine. In order to achieve the desired taste, such wines are produced using the method carbonic maceration (carbonic acid maceration). See also under young wine and winemaking.
![]()
In the past, you needed a wealth of encyclopaedias and specialist literature to keep up to date in your vinophile professional life. Today, Wine lexicon from wein.plus is one of my best helpers and can rightly be called the "bible of wine knowledge".
Prof. Dr. Walter Kutscher
Lehrgangsleiter Sommelierausbildung WIFI-Wien