‘It’s fabulous’: Swansea on cloud wine for Beaujolais Nouveau Day

There was snow on the hills a few miles away and a north-westerly wind was cutting through the city. But a bit of chilly weather didn’t stop thousands of revellers, dressed in party gowns and sharp suits, hitting the streets of Swansea to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day. “It’s an excuse to have a good time, really,” said Laura, a 20-year-old supermarket worker, as she and her co-worker Kelly, 42, danced out of the No Sign Wine Bar, once a haunt of Swansea’s most famous son, Dylan Thomas. “A chance to put on the fake tan, dress up and party.” It isn’t de rigueur here, by any means, to actually sample Beaujolais on the third Thursday of November. Laura and Kelly had been drinking prosecco. “I tried Beaujolais once,’ said Kelly. “Didn’t like it – a bit boring.” In the 1970s in the UK, the “Beaujolais Nouveau Run” became modish, with motoring enthusiasts racing back from eastern France to London with the first cases of the new wine. By the 1980s, the wine became associated with City traders and the upwardly mobile. A poster for Beaujolais Nouveau can be seen in the beloved 1989 “Yuppy Love” episode of Only Fools and Horses when Derek “Del Boy” Trotter falls through a bar flap in a bistro. Popularity waned in the 2000s but there are signs of a comeback. Global heating may have improved growing conditions in the area and the skill of a new breed of Beaujolais winemakers has led to it winning plaudits with critics in France and farther afield. This week the supermarket Asda put out a poll claiming more than a quarter of British people planned to celebrate the day. The percentage may feel a little high, but the Radio 6 Music breakfast DJ Nick Grimshaw announced bright and early that a member of his team had taken the morning off to celebrate the moment. In Swansea, it never really went out of fashion. It is thought the city’s love affair with Beaujolais Nouveau Day began at the No Sign Wine Bar because one of its former owners, the ex Wales rugby union captain Clem Thomas, used to have a house in France and would bring Beaujolais back to Wales. The day grew slowly in popularity and is now a bit of a monster. On Thursday, Morgan’s Hotel near the river was serving 1,000 Beaujolais dinners over five sittings. They sold out six weeks ago. “It’s fabulous,” said Molly Dowrick, head of marketing. “Beaujolais Nouveau day is a kind of cult.” She said many business people used the event to wine and dine clients. “Some offices completely close for the day.” And friends used it to re-connect. ‘“It’s a good warmup for Christmas.” At a table in Morgan’s marquee (they can’t fit everyone inside), this was the 11th year for a bunch of eight female friends. One of them, Kirsty, 35, a beauty therapist, said they met to do makeup at 9am, hair at 10am and had their first drink at 11am. “And we start planning our outfits in July,” said another of the friends, Gabrielle, 32. An online “Beaujolais Bible” is the place to look for events. The Grand Hotel throws in a french kiss cocktail for guests to its event, while the Heaven nightclub offers an all-day party with bongo players, a saxophonist and “bottomless prosecco”. Cameron Richards, a 26-year-old TikToker, was out and about with a bunch of mates. “This is a good representation of our culture,” he said. “A day off, chance to unwind, to celebrate our city.” It can get messy. Extra emergency services workers stand by in case there is any trouble. Tabloid reporters and photographers were in town ready to chronicle outbreaks of bad behaviour – young people being sick in smart outfits has become a newspaper favourite in recent years. But Andrew “Duggie” Douglas, manager at Swansea BID (business improvement district), said Beaujolais Day provided a huge boost to Swansea’s economy. Hairdressers and beauty salons open before dawn; clothes shops do well; taxi drivers are kept busy. “People don’t always know what Beaujolais is, but it’s become this Swansea institution,” he said. “You get the business people come out about midday, then the people who go out after work and then the night crew. Beaujolais Day is a little bit like being on holiday. And when you’re on the holiday, it’s acceptable to have a beer at 10 o’clock in the morning.”