Italian Novellos

Most of you are familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau that comes out the 3^rd Thursday in November around the world. However, Beaujolais is not the only “nouveau” wine produced. Most wine regions create them. One of the more interesting is “novello” from Italy. These young, fruity, light reds are created throughout the country, but unlike Beaujolais that are all made from Gamay, these are produced from indigenous varieties of the regions they are created in. No two are alike. With all due respect to Beaujolais Nouveau, if every producer utilizes the same grape, how different can they all be? The official launch date for Italian Novello is November 8, but they are often held back to coincide with the Beaujolais release.