Starting today the Liquor Control Board of Ontario is offering 10 nouveau wines for sale this year – including two from Ontario.

The annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau and other nouveau wines on the third Thursday of November celebrates the first wines of the year’s harvest. Nouveau wines are traditionally one of the LCBO’s fastest-selling products with more than half selling out in the first week.

“The wine regions we are featuring had an earlier harvest than last year with good quality fruit, which resulted in a great combination of the freshness that Nouveau wine lovers expect, with better than usual definition and a greater mass-appeal,” says Igor Ryjenkov, MW, LCBO Category Manager, European Wines.

The nouveau wine tradition originated in France’s Beaujolais region more than a century ago; when local winemakers developed a wine from the grapes of that vintage to celebrate the completion of the harvest. The result was a fresh, fruity wine they dubbed Beaujolais Nouveau or Beaujolais Primeur. Over the years, other wine regions have been producing their own nouveau wines. This year the LCBO has added a new white offering in the nouveau category.

The LCBO is offering the following 2015 nouveau wines:

Ontario

• Reif Estate The Fool Gamay Nouveau, 750 mL, $11.95
• Reif Estate Kerner Nouveau (The Hanging Man), 750 mL, $11.95

France

• Art's Beaujolais, 750 mL, $11.95
• Duboeuf Gamay Nouveau, 750 mL, $10.95
• Catalans Primeur Syrah Merlot IGP, 750 mL, $10.95
• Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau*, 750 mL, $13.95

Italy

• Mezzacorona Novello, Trentino, 750 mL, $9.95
• Negrar Novello Del Veneto IGT, 750 mL, $9.95

The following wines can be found in the VINTAGES fine wine and premium spirits sections at select LCBO stores:

France

• Beaujolais Villages Nouveau (Joseph Drouhin), 750 mL, $15.95
• Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau (G. Duboeuf), 750 mL, $15.95

According to LCBO, Nouveau wines are best served slightly chilled, and they match well with lighter foods such as appetizers. To appreciate their fresh, fruity character at its best, the wines should be consumed young, although they will hold their flavor and freshness for holiday celebrations and match well with turkey.

For more information on the 2015 nouveau wines and participating stores, customers can check with their local LCBO store or online at www.lcbo.com using the 'Store Search' feature. They can also contact the toll-free, bilingual helloLCBO at 1-800-ONT-LCBO (668-5226) or online at www.helloLCBO.com. In Toronto, call 416 365-5900. The TTY number for the deaf and hard of hearing is 416 864-6898 or 1-800-361-3291.