Loeb on Tap aims to drive #BoJoNuVo revival

Loeb on Tap is hoping to steer a revival in Beaujoais Nouveau in the UK by supplying 12 key London on-trade venues with Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau on tap for the very first time.

Gamay grapes being crushed by foot for use in Le Grappin Beaujolais-Villages

The wine on tap business of Burgundy merchant OW Loeb has teamed up with Burgundy micronegociant Andrew Nielsen to supply his Le Grappin Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau to high-profile restaurants including Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, Noble Rot, Clipstone and Brunswick House on Beaujolais Nouveau Day.

Beaujolais Nouveau Day is marked in France on the third Thursday in November and under French law the wine is released at 12:01am. Beaujolais Nouveau became popular in the UK in the 1980s but its appeal has since fallen into decline.

This year marks the first time the young wine will be served from the innovative Loeb tap system.

Loeb on Tap co-ordinator Rupert Taylor has just returned from Burgundy where he has been making arrangements from the Beaujolais Nouveau wine to be kegged in time for delivery to London on the Thursday morning of Beaujolais Nouveau Day, 17 November.

The activity is being promoted on Twitter with the hashtag #BoJoNuVo.

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Taylor, who will be at the Winemakers’ Club in Farringdon during Beaujolais Nouveau Day, filling refill bottles for Winemakers’ Club customers, said the event was all about promoting the selected restaurants and the artisanal wine of Le Grappin.

Nielsen is renowned for his environmentally-friendly approach – he doesn’t use capsules on his fine wines, and he creates ‘bagnums’ and kegs for his vins de soif.

Le Grappin Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau is made from old-vine Côte-de-Brouilly grapes which are placed into a closed container and ferment naturally through carbonic maceration for 16 days, at which point the grapes are crushed by foot.

The juice is run off and fermented separately from the pressings and the wine is unfined and unfiltered, with no added yeasts or any additions of any kind, including sulphur dioxide.

The wine is kegged by gravity and, according to Nielsen, is inspired “both by old-school closed top carbonic fermentations from Beaujolais and Vino Di Anna’s Palmento [the Etna winery of Les Caves de Pyrene founder Eric Narioo and his winemaker partner, Anna Martens] made from the free run of foot crushed grapes’.

Just 240 litres of the wine are made each year and during Beaujolais Nouveau Day each selected London restaurant will serve a two-litre cartridge (approximately 200 glasses), which will only be available until the keg runs out.

Marylebone restaurant Galvin Bistrot de Luxe is one of the key partners for the promotion that will be pouring Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau on tap for the very first time.

Galvin Bistrot de Luxe head chef Tom Duffill will also be serving a specially created #BoJoNuVo four-course tasting menu to pair with the vintage.

#BoJoNuVo on tap

Available during lunch and dinner on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 November, the menu will be priced at £35 per person and includes dishes such as Traditional ‘Country’ terrine, cornichons, toasted sourdough; roast whole poussin, caramelised quince, consommé, garlic sausage; and warm valrohna chocolate soup, vanilla ice-cream and honeycomb.

A 250ml carafe of Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2016 will be served alongside the menu.

Galvin Restaurants have installed the Loeb tap system at a number of its restaurants including Bistrot de Luxe, Galvin HOP, and Galvin Green Man. This Beaujolais Nouveau Day, Galvin HOP will also serve the exclusive wine on tap.

Galvin Restaurants chef and co-owner Chris Galvin said the wine on tap system had impressed restaurant staff with its consistent quality.

“We have carried out a number of blind tastings for the tap system, and every time the wine poured from this method has come out on top,” he said.

“The sealed cartridge ensures there is no oxidation so the quality is remarkably consistent. Sustainability is an issue close to our hearts, and this method is extremely effective at reducing waste. Beaujolais Nouveau Day is the perfect opportunity to show off how the Loeb tap works and for our guests to try the fantastic wine produced by Andrew and Emma at Le Grappin.”

Venue’s pouring Beaujolais Nouveau on tap:

Ben’s House
Bistro Union
Brunswick House – Which is hosting a late-night Beaujolais party
Clipstone – Which has poured four different Le Grappin cuveés since opening.
Galvin Bistrot de Luxe – Chris Galvin and head chef Tom Duffill have returned from Beaujolais with full notebooks to prepare a special menu of cuisine Beaujolaise to promote #BoJoNuVo
Galvin Hop
Grain Store
Temper
Noble Rot Wine Bar & Restaurant – which is holding a Fête du Beaujolais, with Pierre Koffman overseeing the menu and Andrew Nielsen in attendance along with Beaujolais producers Jean-Louis Dutraive and Julien Sunier
161 Food+Drink
Ruby’s – For the Genuwine wine dance party, organised by former Lyle’s head sommelier Courtney Stebbings, on Friday 18 November.
The Winemakers Club – where it will be possible to buy freshly filled bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau for take-away on Thursday 17 November from 12:01 to 15:00.