Is there still life in Beaujolais Nouveau? It’s a very young wine, bottled and shipped by the third Thursday of November (today), very soon after harvest. It used to be a big deal; now, not so much. We’ve already started seeing 2013s from the southern hemisphere, who are six months ahead, and this has taken a bit of gloss off the Nouveau event. And the wines have usually been awful.

UK retailer Marks & Spencer have made a wine to breath life back into this campaign. It’s a really nice wine, and it’s also the first carbon neutral example, shipped by rail, not road, and packaged in recyclable and very light PET bottles. It’s quite delicious.

M&S Beaujolais Nouveau 2013 France
12% alcohol. Juicy, bright, supple and cherryish with a hint of grip under the lovely red fruits. There’s some fruit sweetness here, but also a bit of grip, and some subtle sappy notes. Very drinkable and not confected. 87/100 (£7.49 Marks & Spencer)