Beaujolais Nouveau Ready to Pour in Japan

The annual flood of Beaujolais Nouveau is set to flow in Japan on the official release day of November 17, when the new red wine of the year will find its way into the glasses of eager Japanese imbibers.

Japan standard time is eight hours ahead of France, so Tokyo wine-lovers can enjoy the new young wine directly after midnight on the 16th, long before most Parisian drinkers pop their corks.

Cargo industry observers in Japan estimate that the total air shipment of the new wine to Japan this year is at least 10,000 tons or close to 10 million bottles.

Japan Airlines has shipped in from Europe about 1,100 tons– amounting to 90,000 cases or well over one million bottles – on 45 flights. The shipments were carried in 12 scheduled JAL Cargo 747 freighter flights, four extra 747-freighter flights and as belly cargo in 29 JAL passenger flights.

This year’s imports are down in volume on last year, when the total quantity was a record 13,000 tons. However JAL has maintained its market share of the traffic.

JAL and other airlines are permitted to ship the wine from France in advance of the official release day for the public distribution of the wine, which the French Government has established as the third Thursday in November. The new Beaujolais is held in bond until midnight on the eve of release.

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