Nouveau evokes memories of Beaujolais. Fun summer days, drinking light bubble-gummy reds. Fun days that made Beaujolais way too popular and demand outstripped the small French region’s capacity for quality. Volumes soared, quality tumbled.

The quality is back, a few weeks ago we highlighted a leader on Beaujolais’s return to both quality and to fashion. Other regions though, are chasing the market for soft, warm-weather reds.

Domaine Des Frères Le Pérou 2023 $49

The Loire Valley, is home to Beaujolais’ hottest domestic competition, including Domaine Des Frères.

Their Le Pérou is one rival, but descriptions for this wine may be misleading. It’s red, 100 per cent Cabernet Franc, and has had a couple of years in the bottle to soften and develop. Even in the glass, the bold, almost purple colour, fooled me into expecting a big dry onslaught.

How wrong I was. Full-bodied yes, but like a long-retired wrestler, softly wrapping its juiciness in an all-enveloping cuddle.

Before summer departs, enjoy this wine at home, or if you are anywhere near Ponsonby, book a seat at BARE wines, the importers’ unfussy urban cave where Romain and Bertrand (founders of BARE) serve this by the glass. Bertrand, a Loire native admittedly, says this is a “light, fresh and ripe red wine, just awesome. A fantastic little bistro red that I wish we could have more of!”

Made in the en vogue, low-intervention style, softly exuberant and full of summer berries. barewine.co.nz

Spy Valley N Block Pinot Noir Nouveau 2024 $30

Speaking of bistro wines, you will only find this limited-release red, by Marlborough’s Spy Valley, at their cellar door or specially selected, en-premise venues.

It is a clever, fleet-footed little wine that takes all of Pinot Noir’s aromatic, floral prettiness and rebuffs any of its earthier, complexities and moods. I guess even spies need to chill sometimes.

To chill is advisable. I first tried this at ambient temperature, but February is not a wine-friendly season in Aotoearoa.

Pop it in the fridge awhile and out comes an aromatic glass of roadside-stall, cherries and roses. At just 12.5 per cent alcohol, you are cleared for day-drinking. I’ve Sav in my fridge packing more punch than that!

I looked up translations for "nouveau": “new, modern, often fashionably so.”

Welcome to the nouveau niche, clear some fridge space, take a warm afternoon and get yourself on trend.

Spy valley.co.nz