TOKYO (AFP) — The first batch of 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau arrived in Japan Friday but importers expect shipment to drop sharply amid signs that the country's love affair with the wine may be waning.
Japan is the biggest importer of France's Beaujolais Nouveau, ordering 11 million bottles last year.
But the strength of the euro has pushed up prices and shipments are expected to drop more than 20 percent this year, importers said.
Wine fans in Japan will gather at bars and restaurants on November 15 for an annual ritual to crack open the fruity light red wine.
The third Thursday in November traditionally marks the official uncorking of the new season's Beaujolais around the world, 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 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 stabilised," said a spokesman for the company.
"We presume that many people are choosing quality rather than quantity."
But predictions of a 20 percent drop this year may prove overly pessimistic, according to Sopexa, a group that promotes French food and drink.
"We have been waiting for a drop for two years but it hasn't happened yet," said Sopexa director Jean-Charles Crouin, who said 2004 was an exceptional year due to a spike in demand after a shortage of the wine the previous year.
Importers said the weakness of the yen against the euro may be partly to blame for the expected drop in demand this year.
"A strong euro may also be a negative factor for sales of Beaujolais Nouveau," a spokesman for importer Suntory said.
The price of this year's imports are about five percent higher than last year because of the strong euro against the yen, according to Asahi.
Almost half of the 2006 Beaujolais Nouveau vintage was sold abroad, with Japan coming first, followed by Germany with 3.2 million bottles and the United States with 2.8 million.
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