Every year, on the third Thursday of November, the year's Beaujolais Nouveau is released from France. In France, this comes close to a national celebration, and bars, cafes and wine shops all over the world rush to stock their shelves and hold tastings of the new wine. The quality of the year's Beaujolais Nouveau is also seen as an indicator of the quality of other French, particularly Burgundy-region, wines produced in the same harvest year, as it is the first one out.
Beaujolais Nouveau is a light, fruity red wine made from the Gamay grape. It becomes even more fruit-forward when it is served slightly chilled. Because the Gamay grape has a thin skin, this particular wine is low in tannins. It is very versatile in that it pairs well with several dishes, including turkey, making it a great choice for the holidays. It's also relatively inexpensive, usually priced around $10 a bottle. Beaujolais Nouveau is a young drinking wine that is not meant to age, therefore it is best to drink it within a few months of its release date.
Last night, our local small chain of liquor stores (M & R) held a tasting of good Thanksgiving wines, focusing on this year's Beaujolais Nouveau from Georges Duboeuf, the largest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau. The Duboeuf website claims that this year's harvest is the best in 50 years, apparently due to superb weather and growing conditions. After tasting it, I have to agree, perhaps not with the 50 year thing, but it is the best one I've had. Last year's was a bad one - high in mineral taste - I felt as if I had a penny in my mouth. But this year's smells of grapes, and has a light, slightly sweet, fruit-forward flavor that finishes nicely. This is not a complex wine, but that's what's great about it, in my opinion. So, drink up - Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 est arrive!
Beaujolais Nouveau is a light, fruity red wine made from the Gamay grape. It becomes even more fruit-forward when it is served slightly chilled. Because the Gamay grape has a thin skin, this particular wine is low in tannins. It is very versatile in that it pairs well with several dishes, including turkey, making it a great choice for the holidays. It's also relatively inexpensive, usually priced around $10 a bottle. Beaujolais Nouveau is a young drinking wine that is not meant to age, therefore it is best to drink it within a few months of its release date.
Last night, our local small chain of liquor stores (M & R) held a tasting of good Thanksgiving wines, focusing on this year's Beaujolais Nouveau from Georges Duboeuf, the largest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau. The Duboeuf website claims that this year's harvest is the best in 50 years, apparently due to superb weather and growing conditions. After tasting it, I have to agree, perhaps not with the 50 year thing, but it is the best one I've had. Last year's was a bad one - high in mineral taste - I felt as if I had a penny in my mouth. But this year's smells of grapes, and has a light, slightly sweet, fruit-forward flavor that finishes nicely. This is not a complex wine, but that's what's great about it, in my opinion. So, drink up - Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 est arrive!
1 comment:
Great post! Thanks for the heads up! I love beaujolais but I always just miss it!
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