Beaujolais Day is Coming!
Looking for tastings and parties on Thursday night for Beaujolais Day? Event notices are starting to trickle in. It's nice to see so many foodies and wine folks getting on board this French wine holiday that's become an unofficial opening to the holiday season! While we all like Beaujolais, in France, everyone gathers around on the third Thursday in November for the release of the Nouveau. This "new" wine is fruity and raw, but delicious as the weather begins to get a little chilly. They also make great (and inexpensive) holiday party wines. Remember, Nouveaus are best consumed by the end of the year they were released (and generally no later than April). So drink up!
L'explorateur -- Beaujolais Nouveau Release Party, 5;30-7:00 p.m., wine and hors d'oeurvres, $20 per person. (Last year, this party was a blast and a who's who of food and wine in Indy.)
Vine & Table -- Open House, 5:30-8:30 p.m., free. The wine shop and market formerly known as Kahn's has a new look and name. They're celebrating with open houses all week with themed wine tastings and snacks. Thursday celebrates all things French including samples of the Nouveau and other French wines, French cheeses, pates, chocolates and snacks from Kahn's Catering.
Kahn's Fine Wines -- Tasting, all day, free. Jim will carry three, the Laborurie Roi, the Joseph Drouhin, and well-known George Duboeuf. Stop in for a sip at the Keystone Superstore.
2 comments:
A couple of days ago I was talking to a distributor friend who told me he was no longer going to be in the Nouveau business because transportation costs have forced its price up to the point where Nouveau will hit the shelves for close to $15 per bottle. I'll wait for Thursday to see if he's right, but at that price wine drinkers would be much better off buying the still-available Cru Beaujolais or Beaujolais Villages from the excellent 2003 or 2005 vintages.
Dr. Vino had a post on the topic a few days ago (I think I linked to it in the carbon footprint of wine post.)
However, I also think it's worth noting that while a fair number of US consumers think of the $9.99 a bottle Georges DeBeouf when they think of Beaujolais Nouveau, there are some more exceptional Nouveaus from better regional houses that make it a fun day. Unfortunately, it's pretty difficult to find many of them on the open market here in Indy. Most of the big wine stores will carry the same three or four -- and the same inexpensive bottles. But there are Nouveaus out there that are alreaady notching up into that higher price range.
It's not surprising to me that some smaller distributors would find the Nouveau to be an expensive wash and a distraction from the holiday season sales.
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