Celebration

don. Some people may think it’s an old thing, which is why it may not be as big everywhere else, but people don’t know what they are missing out on.

“People who come from far away always want to come back again.”

Another place which has become synonymous with the occasion in Swansea is Morgans Hotel on the corner of Adelaide Street.

It is now an annual tradition for a giant marquee to spring up opposite the grade two listed building, and even the road itself is closed to traffic for a wine-fuelled party.

But why has this unique bond formed between the hotel and the occasion?

It seems that it’s something which has just grasped people’s attention and snowballed through word of mouth.

Christine Major, commercial manager for the Morgans Group, previously said: “Beaujolais Day has been around in Swansea for many years, but Morgans took the decision to celebrate the event by taking it to another level, and it has developed into the most anticipated day in Swansea’s social calendar.

“When the event started, Morgans offered specially designed menus in Morgans main restaurant to celebrate the arrival of the new Beaujolais wine.

“Popularity grew over the coming years and additional sittings were added for the hotel to cater for the vast amount of reservation requests.”

From then on, it was just a case of keeping up with demand.

Christine says: “In 2012 the event had outgrown the available capacity that the main hotel could offer and this prompted the introduction of a large marquee that would take the place on the hotel car park to accommodate the increase in demand.

“This has continued to grow over the years with more and more people joining the occasion.

“In 2016 a further marquee was added which was located on the road directly outside the hotel, between the main building and the original marquee providing further entertainment and more space for guests to enjoy.

“To give you an idea of how the event has grown in the last 10 years, in 2007 we catered for 209 guests and this year we have 900 diners confirmed to attend.

Why is Swansea the best?

Christine adds: “Swansea does Beaujolais Day arguably bigger and better than anywhere else in the UK and more and more guests are coming from further afield to experience this fantastic event.

“Traditionally this was a very corporate day at Morgans with businesses using it as a networking event, but this has evolved over the years and we now see a real mix of guests from both corporate and leisure.

“Morgans is very proud to be at the centre of one of the biggest events in the Swansea social calendar,” she added.

What does Beaujolais Nouveau taste like?

Every year, it’ll taste different to the previous year as it depends on what weather the region has had. As a result of the quick fermentation process, Beaujolais Nouveau does not have the structure or depth of most other wines, but it is fresh, fruity, with tones of cherry, strawberry, and raspberry, and described as easily quaffable.