15/11/2014
It's Beaujolais Nouveau Time!
"Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé !" This is a phrase you're likely to hear every year on the third Thursday in November, at 12:01 a.m. local time around the globe, as the newest vintage of wine from France's Beaujolais region is released to the public. This wine, fermented for just a few weeks, is known as Beaujolais Nouveau. It is a red wine made from Gamay grapes that are grown and harvested by hand in the Beaujolais province, at the southern tip of Burgundy.
Though perhaps not as complex as red wines from this region that are aged for one or more years, Beaujolais Nouveau is a bright, fruity, and very drinkable wine. It is recommended to be served slightly chilled, and is intended for immediate consumption. It is not a variety to stock away in the wine cellar, as it does not improve with age.
Beaujolais Nouveau is produced using carbonic maceration. This whole-grape anaerobic fermentation process brings out fruit flavors, without imparting bitter tannins from the grape skins. Whole bunches of grapes, stems and all, are placed in huge vats, along with some yeast. The vats are sealed and carbon dioxide is introduced. The weight of the grapes themselves crushes those at the bottom of the vat, which begin to ferment. More carbon dioxide is released by the fermenting fruit, and in this environment, starved of oxygen (the 'anaerobic' part), fermentation begins even in the uncrushed grapes. Eventually the fermentation process causes the whole grapes to burst, releasing their juice. In a short six to eight weeks, the wine is ready to be bottled, shipped, and consumed.
Considered by some wine connoisseurs to be too simple, many find the simplicity and freshness of this wine to be its greatest charm. And, for those minding their budget, Beaujolais Nouveau is very affordable.
In the US, with Thanksgiving falling just a week after 'Beaujolais Nouveau Day,' it's the perfect opportunity to stock up on a few bottles to enjoy with friends and family over the holiday weekend. Outside the US, well, you really don’t need a special occasion to enjoy this wonderfully refreshing, young wine.
