Beaujolais wine suffers from its own reputation

As a result, exporters are forced to look for new markets for the Beaujolais Nouveau, such as in Asia and eastern Europe.

But professionals warn that this is not the way out of the crisis. According to wine-maker Gilles Gelin, the emphasis must be on quality again -- for both the Nouveau and the standard Beaujolais wines.

"We must show that we are capable of making very nice [Nouveaus], round and easy to drink, but also very good wines for aging," he said.

And whatever strategy is chosen, Gelin said that it must be undertaken soon.