First came Brad and Angelina's Miraval, then Kylie's rosé. Now Fred Sirieix, maître d' star of First Dates, has launched his first bottle of wine and it will be sold exclusively at M&S.
Using his 30 years’ experience in food and wine in both France and London, Fred chose a blend by Beaujolais winemaker Sylvie Ravier and M&S' Sue Daniels, made with the region’s traditional grape variety, Gamay. It's described as light and fruity with flavours of cherries and strawberries, and a perfect pairing with cold meats, pâté and a good crusty baguette with butter.
Fred said: “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! I’m very excited to have chosen this year’s sensational Beaujolais Nouveau blend for M&S, guaranteed to be the perfect party drink this season. It’s a brilliant wine to have on hand when family and friends come to visit, and an absolute must-have to accompany festive nibbles.
"This is an incredibly special time of year because you can only get your hands on this French classic for a limited time after its release this week, so be quick!”
Fred shared the news with his 823,000 Instagram followers, who were quick to congratulate him with excited comments such as “Cannot wait to try this!”, “Looking forward to giving this a go!” and “Will def try this one as love a Beaujolais!”
Beaujolais Nouveau which can be chilled, is officially released in France on ‘Beaujolais Day’ – the third Thursday in November – with fireworks, music and festivals. Under French law the wine cannot be released any earlier than midnight on that Thursday.
It's exclusively available to buy in M&S stores and on the website from Thursday for £8 a bottle. But it's limited edition so once it's gone, it's gone.
