It’s the way we want to drink now

We’re gaga for gluggable glou-glou wines. Getty Images photo

We are in the middle of a wine word renaissance. Glou-glou, you say? Yes, please.

Glou-glou is a French noun-turned-adjective that imitates the word “glug-glug.” It is a 1600s wine term that was brought back to life by the natural wine movement, morphed into a trend and is now firmly rooted in today’s wine culture.

A wine that is glou-glou is one that invites glugging. Think of the term as representing the sound of liquid leaving a wine bottle and the rapid gulping of said wine. Glou-glou wines are easily quaffable and seductively delicious. They are young and fresh, unpretentious, approachable, relatively low in alcohol (10 to 12 per cent ABV), with high acidity making them ideal for pairing with food or enjoying on their own. Enjoying glou-glou wines upon release is optimal.

Beaujolais, France, is the birthplace of the term, and Gamay wines from Beaujolais are typically light bodied with fruit-forward flavours or, in other words, glou-glou. (The most glou-glou of all the wines is Beaujolais Nouveau, which is officially released on the third Thursday of November each year. Look for it on November 16.)

Now entire winemaking regions in France, Italy, Spain, Australia, the U.S. and Canada boast many vignerons producing easy-drinking, glou-glou wines.

Glou-glou wines can be red, white, rosé or sparkling and are often made using natural winemaking techniques that emphasize the flavours and aromas of the grapes.

Wine brands, wineries and wine bars are all on the glou-glou bandwagon to celebrate natural wine. Glou-glou’s joyous energy is an intentional detour from the perceived formality of traditional wine cultures and captures the free spirit of natural wine. Besides, who doesn’t enjoy the promising sound of a bottle of wine being opened and swirling into your glass? 

Four glou-glou wines to try

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais
(Beaujolais, France, $22.99)
Juicy, with flavours of cherry and fresh strawberry.

Paper Label Beaujolais Nouveau 2022
(Beaujolais, France, $24.99)
Tart raspberry with mouth-watering acidity.

Les Ligérierns Rosé D’Anjou
(Loire Valley, France, $20.99)
Refreshing flavours of red currant and watermelon.

Summerhill Pyramid Winery Alive Organic White
(BC VQA Okanagan Valley, B.C., $23)
Honeydew melon, lime and Granny Smith apple.

Christine Campbell

Christine Campbell is a Vancouver-based freelance and travel writer, educator and host of the Wine Soundtrack Canada podcast. She is WSET certified and is a French Wine Scholar. Follow Christine’s adventures in wine and abroad at girlsgogrape.com and on Instagram at @girlsgograpedotcom.