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Japanese enthusiasm for Beaujolais may be waning

Customs officers check bottles of 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau at Narita International Airport in Tokyo yesterday. Japan is the largest importer of Beaujolais. WARNING: EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION CAN DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH

The first batch of 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau arrived in Japan yesterday, but shipments were set to drop sharply amid signs that the country's love affair with the wine was waning.

Japan is the biggest importer of Beaujolais Nouveau, ordering 11 million bottles last year.

But the strength of the euro has pushed up prices and shipments are expected to plunge more than 20 percent this year, importers said.

Wine fans in Japan will gather at bars and restaurants on Thursday for an annual ritual to crack open the fruity light red wine.

That date marks the official uncorking of the new season's Beaujolais, with the Japanese the first in the world to get a taste because of their country's time zone.

Wine still accounts for only a fraction of the alcohol purchased in hard-drinking Japan but consumption has more than doubled in the past decade, spurred by heavy marketing.

The Beaujolais boom, however, has been losing some of its momentum in recent years.

Japanese imports hit a record high of 12.5 million bottles in 2004 but demand has since cooled.

This year, Japan is expected to import 8.4 million bottles, according to Asahi Breweries Ltd, one of the Japanese importers of the wine.

"The boom has calmed down and demand has stabilized," a spokesman for the company said. "We presume that many people are choosing quality rather than quantity."

Another importer, Suntory, said the weakness of the yen against the euro may also be partly to blame.

"A strong euro may also be a negative factor for sales of Beaujolais Nouveau," a spokesman said.

The price of this year's imports are about five percent higher than last year because of the strong euro against the yen, Asahi said.

Almost half of the 2006 Beaujolais Nouveau vintage was sold abroad, with Japan coming first, followed by Germany and the US.
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