Beaujolais Nouveau’s Fanbase Finally Dries Up in Japan

Kirin Holdings’ wine unit will stop selling Beaujolais Nouveau in Japan, in a sign of soaring costs and changing tastes in what had been a holdout export market.

The wine producer and importer Mercian, a unit of Kirin, will halt sales of the early-release wine from this autumn, a spokesperson told Bloomberg News. The company said it made the decision on rising freight costs and the shifting preferences of Japanese wine-drinkers.