by Ned Goodwin
The Japanese obsession with seasonal change long made Beaujolais Nouveau an unmitigated success story. Promoted with great fanfare, it is often the only glass of wine most Japanese drink all year. Celebrities are eager to be the first seen
taking a sip - and few restaurants dare not pour it by the glass in November.
Beaujolais Nouveau saturated the market with imports of more than 1,000,000 cases per year since 2003, when liquor licensing was deregulated, and convenience stores like 7-11 became potential sales points.
Despite signs of a Japanese economic recovery, the Shuhan News reports that imports of Beaujolais Nouveau declined to 880,000 cases in 2006. Meanwhile, the volume of Macon Nouveau rose by 10 and Italian Novello by 9%. Optimistically, the Japanese may be trying new things. Pessimistically, the new is not that different from the old in a land that clings to a rigid status quo.
