Beaujolais Nouveau

Bet you didn't know I speak french. Ok, I don't really besides "va chez le diable" which means go to hell. It's amazing that that is the only sentence I remember from my stint in grade 7 french immersion. Shows you just where my priorities were, doesn't it? Gee it doesn't take me much to get off topic....

Beaujolais Nouveau - I'm sure most of you wine drinkers are familiar with this time of year...it is Beaujolais Nouveau time. The third Thursday in November is when France rolls out Beaujolais Nouveau. Different from other red wines in that it has not been left to ferment as red wines are. In a matter of weeks (rather than years), these grapes are processed, fermented, bottled and shipped (in very limited quanties) all over the world to celebrate a new season of wine making in France. In France, the release of these wines involves celebrations the likes of which rival mardi gras in New Orleans. It is a time of rebirth in French wine growing regions.

The wine iteself, if you can manage to get your hands on a bottle, is as close to a white wine that a red wine will ever be. It's lighter and fruitier than most red wines because of it's expedited fermentation. It is delicious paired with just about any food, or just sit and drink the entire bottle on its own, as I am inclined to do. Make no mistake, this wine cannot be confused with the quality of a good bordeaux...but it's the novelty behind it that makes it fun to drink.

Nouveau wines should be consumed within a year of bottling. Age does not increase the drinkability of these wines (I like that this rule validates my propensity to consume large amounts of wine). Also, contrary to other red wines, this one should be served slightly chilled.

It is one of the items on my "bucket list", to sit in a little Parisian cafe in Burgundy, partaking of the festivities involved with the release of Beaujolais Nouveau. Of course, the only full sentence I can speak in french will not be of much use, unless of course I want to piss off a bunch of frenchmen.