Pickers cutting grapes at the Moulin-a-Vent vineyard in the picturesque Beaujolais region in eastern France, in the early hours of Monday.

Traditionally, the grapes are harvested at the end of the night when the temperatures are lower, to produce the fruity and tender wine that the region is well known for. Only hand-picked Gamay grapes are used to make Beaujolais wine.

Beaujolais Nouveau is meant to be drunk young, where the grapes are fermented for just a few weeks before bottles of the wine are released for sale on the third Thursday of November.

The day is celebrated in France as Beaujolais Nouveau Day.