Beaujolais Nouveau 2017: This year's wine is uncorked during annual French celebration

PARIS – This year’s Beaujolais Nouveau has been uncorked in France in the famous wine event that spawns nationwide parties — and plenty of hangovers.

A sip from the 2017 batch of the — often rough — red wine that’s only aged a short time will evoke notes of wild strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant.

More: Weight Watchers debuts diet wine to toast the holidays

More: Napa and Sonoma counties welcome wine travel

More: 3 ways to avoid cooking this Thanksgiving

But the owner of Paris’ Au Petit Chavignol restaurant, Bernard Roques-Bouges, said Thursday that the attraction of the highly-marketed annual event is simple: an excuse to party.

Roques-Bouges uncorked his first bottles at midnight Wednesday in the third week of November, as is tradition in the 24-hour celebration.

The merriment is taking place despite wine volumes being lower than normal this year owing to vine damage from frost, hail and drought.