The sound of a cork popping off a bottle of wine is a welcoming sound; the subtle popping noise is enough to turn wine lovers into Pavlov’s dog, drooling uncontrollably. As welcoming a sound this may be, it can often only be heard by those within earshot. This is unless you are uncorking a Beaujolais nouveau. When this bottle is opened, it is the cork heard around the world.

The Beaujolais nouveau is a French wine that comes out but once a year, making it something that wine drinkers look forward to on an annual basis. Shoppers have the annual sale at Macy’s, football fans have the Super bowl, hypochondriacs have their yearly physical, and wine lovers have the third Thursday in November. On this day, Beaujolais nouveau is released into the open arms and open mouths of connoisseurs.

At 12:01 on November's third Thursday, Beaujolais nouveau is sent all around the world. As mandated by French law, it cannot be released a second sooner: bottles that come out too soon may find themselves being opened not with a corkscrew but with a guillotine.

The thing that makes Beaujolais nouveau stand out among other wines is the fact that it is a wine immediately sold after fermentation. Following pasteurization, Beaujolais nouveau is made in a way that bypasses malolactic fermentation, a process in winemaking where tart acid is converted into softer acid. This allows the grapes to be harvested and drunk a short six weeks later.

While most wines are made to age, sitting in cellars for years or decades at a time, tapping their fingers and glancing at their watch, Beaujolais nouveau must be consumed within a few months. A wine not known for its patience, Beaujolais nouveau is ready to go as soon as it‘s made: just add taste buds.

Many wine experts agree that Beaujolais nouveau has an immature taste to it, like a wine that sours when it doesn't get its way. This immaturity gives the Beaujolais nouveau a taste similar to grape juice: it's light, fruit filled, and extremely easy to drink. Since these types of wine are produced by whole berry fermentation, they contain very little, if any, tannin. This leaves the wine with a less acidic taste than many red wines. You can call Beaujolais nouveau immature, but you cannot call it bitter.