"The New Beaujolais has arrived!"
On the third Thursday in November Beaujolais Nouveau is released to the public. This has been a French tradition for decades with lots of festivities and celebrations in France. Here in the U.S. you might see signs in your local wine shops that the new Beaujolais has arrived!
Georges Duboeuf is the ever popular négociant who is known as the "King of Beaujolais". Duboeuf is the marketing guru who started all the publicity decades ago surrounding the release of Beaujolais Nouveau to get the public excited about the new wine.
Beaujolais Nouveau is a light red wine that is produced in the Beaujolais Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) region in France. The only grape allowed to grow in Beaujolais is the Gamay grape which is a dark, thin skinned grape that produces a wine with light tannins.
Duboeuf is the largest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau which is relatively inexpensive at approximately $10 a bottle (may be even less in some areas). You can also find Beaujolais Nouveau by Drouhin and Domaine Dupeuble Beaujolais Nouveau. These wines range in price from $20 to $25. Some experts recommend these last two nouveau wines rather than the Duboeuf nouveau.
The Beaujolais Nouveau is a great transitional wine for those who are white wine drinkers. This red wine has crisp acidity and low tannins like a white wine which makes it an easy drinking and food friendly wine.
The labels on Beaujolais Nouveau are colorful and festive which play off its marketing for the festivities that abound in France to celebrate the end of the harvest with the wine's release.
Tasting Notes: Beaujolais Nouveau is a red berry fruit-forward light wine that has aromas of red cherries, and can have just a hint of banana. Serve this wine chilled as you would a white wine, which brings out the fruit flavors.
It is a food-friendly wine that pairs well with your holiday turkeys and hams.
Beaujolais Nouveau is a light, easy drinking wine to be enjoyed in a fun and festive atmosphere and should not be taken seriously.
I would be remiss if I did not reiterate that this is just an easy drinking, light red wine. It should not be confused with a quality French Bordeaux. Just enjoy it for what it is.
Beaujolais Nouveau is meant to be drunk young - within 3-6 months of its release. Some say that it can be held for up to 1 year, though I recommend that you drink it within 6-8 months as it starts to loose it fruitiness with age.
For more information visit Holidays and Wine.
Salute!
Winelady Cooks
Sounds like a great buy - I'll have to check it out!
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