OSAKA -- Bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau began to arrive at Narita and Kansai airports Friday morning as fans and label collectors waited for Thursday, when the first vintage of the century is to be released on markets worldwide.
Importers said demand from connoisseurs is still strengthening, and total imports of the French wine, traditionally released for consumption on the third Thursday of November, is expected to reach last year's level, which was a record high.
Imported into Japan from the Beaujolais region near Lyon in southwestern France, the wine will sell for 2,000 yen a bottle, the same as last year.
According to importers, it will be the best vintage in 10 years, with the right balance of sweetness and sourness resulting from the grapes being cultivated in ideal weather.
Customs officers at Kansai airport in Osaka were expected to be inundated by 1.25 million bottles on Friday alone.