Le Beaujolais nouveau

[Editor - France Magazine]

Bonjour Forum-users,

Who's looking forward to November for some Beaujolais nouveau? Is there a big celebration in your community? Do you usually like the taste of it? What do you eat with it? Is it even more rewarding if you've taken part in the vendanges?

Let me know what you'll be doing, or what you might have done in the past.

Thanks,

Carolyn

[Jotty]

In the Hérault la fête du  vin nouveau is  on Thursday 16th October until the 18th.

A month earlier than Beaujolais, and a wider selection of wines including (usually) some nice Sauvignon blanc etc...

Last year was particularly celebrated as it was 100 years since the 1907 revolt  but there are always lots of celebrations.

This year Olargues will combine the Fête du marron with the fête du  vin nouveau on the weekend of the 1st of November, and  "une super castanyada y attend également les nombreux amateurs de châtaignes."

so I suppose you can say that chestnuts often go with these wines.

[Pierre ZFP]

My archery club is having a B-N evening.  I carefully inquired about the wisdom of drinking and shooting as was assured that we shoot the first part of the evening and drink/eat cheese later !

[Will]

Every year for several years now I have had an invitation from a large French organisation to taste the Beaujolais Nouveau with them. Nothing unusual in that - except that this event, always attended by the company's own top people, is held in London because the arrival of the BN is celebrated more there than in the outskirts of Paris, where they are based. I shall be going this year as I am due to be in England at the time.

[chessfou]

No, it is certainly not celebrated in these parts. Though last year, I am sorry to say, I noted a "Gaillac nouveau" (which comes from not very far from here).

Me, I shall do the same as every year and carefully avoid the muck but I do have quite a few bottles (roughly a case of each) of 2005 (superb year*) Brouilly, Fleurie, Morgon, Moulin à Vent, Régnié and Saint Amour, all from good producers and all of which are coming along very nicely.

* I suspect it's the best of the three(!) "millésime du siècle" to have appeared so far this century - (the others being 2000 & 2003).

[Christine Animal]

We just drink it.   [:D]

 

[woolybanana]

We did have some a few years ago but it tasted like a mixture of dog dung and furniture polish. And we emptied it out of the window only to find it had killed Randy's prized loofa plant. Since then not a foul drop.

Just overhyped muck it is and will always be. I am slightly surprised that the OP does not know that the fad for Beaujolais Nouveau has been over for a number of years, even in London.

 

[Cerise]

The Gaillac nouveau is nouveau at all but Primeur.  The Gaillac Primeur is always the 3rd Thursday in November and the events at local vineyards carry on into the weekend.  I don't think the Gaillac vignerons even recognise the existence of Beaujolais Nouveau.

[Jotty]

You are quite right Cérise: our 'new' wines are really primeurs.

And the Beaujolais Nouveau is hardly recognised, but then there are so many excellent Languedoc wines that we can afford to ignore inferior products ...[:P]

[Théière]

I thought BN was just so the industry vinicults could taste the brew to see if was worth bottling or selling on. Then they found out that really really young wine could be sold to the Brits at inflated prices leaving more of the good stuff for France.

Cynical moi?

[woolybanana]

It is just a marketing trick to get rid of bad wine. They have been grubbing out the vineyards which produce the muck to try and move upmarket. Keep grubbing I say.

[Benjamin]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

 it tasted like a mixture of dog dung and furniture polish.

[/quote]

That good eh?

I was with a crowd in a London hotel dining room some years ago when the d*ck head at the top of the table was persuaded by the wine waiter to order three bottles for the table.

I've been suspicious of chilled red wine ever since.  [+o(]

[Cat]

They'll be telling us next that the French really do adore Piat d'Or [+o(]

[chessfou]

Nothing wrong with lightly chilled (decent) red wine, especially those  from the Loire valley but also Grand wines which, after all, ought to be served "chambré" - generally in the region of 16 degrees C (18 absolute max.). What is the usual temperature in your living room (20, 22, 24, even more?) or in your local restaurant?

If I can't serve my wines straight from our cellar, then I bung 'em in one of our "caves à vin" (special wine fridges) for a bit before serving. Alternatives are to put them in a wine cooler, or briefly in the fridge (although that's far from ideal because the temperature shock is too great) or, in winter (provided it's not freezing out), to stick 'em outside in the cold for a bit.

[Théière]

Vin chaud?

[Jotty]

In the summer here (which can get to 40+°) red wine is almost always served chilled.

If you look on the label it often says should be served between 16 + 18 °.

[Théière]

Down or up on the piste, it served hot, nicely spiced.

Winters coming

[Jotty]

[quote user="teapot"]

Down or up on the piste, it served hot, nicely spiced.

Winters coming

[/quote]

on the piste again eh? [:D]