Le Beaujolais Nouveau est Arrivé!

Time to Celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day!

Photo Source

What is Beaujolais Nouveau Day?

  A holiday in France, much like the American celebration of St. Patrick's day, where restaurants and cafes celebrate the arrival of the new vintage of Beaujolais wine (featuring the Gamay grape). As regulated by law, the new vintage may be released on the third Thursday in November at midnight. 

This holiday is not for wine-snobs, Beaujolais Nouveau is known as a bright, fruit forward, light bodied red without much complexity. But that is exactly why I love it. It's a fresh wine, harvested and produced in a few weeks, meant to be consumed young. Historically, this party was meant to celebrate the end of the harvest and boost cash flow for wineries after harvest. In the 1970s, wineries began the "race to Paris" tradition. Since then, many countries have adopted the tradition of celebrating the race to Paris by opening bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau immediately after midnight.

If you ever find yourself in France around the third Thursday in November, try to check out the festivals. Many begin with markets and vendors during the day, with the celebration moving to the restaurants around midnight to ring in the new vintage. And remember, Beaujolais Nouveau goes great with food, especially casual fare.

Cheers!

Savor the Last of Summer: Reds that can Take a Chill!

"But there ain't no cure for those summertime blues."

Photo Source: 

http://oddsandsends.blogspot.com/2010/04/vintage-summer-postcards.html

Labor Day has come and (oh too swiftly) gone. The evenings are getting cooler. The days are getting shorter. Its official - summer is coming to a close. For us wine enthusiasts, this means (generally!) the loss of fresh, chilled, ros

é and the return of red, red, red!

But, for those who are clinging to summer or living in a warmer climate - there are some 

reds that can take a chill (gasp!). I say again - some reds can take a chill and still be 

delicious! 

In fact, buzzfeed just posted a rather witty post listing a few reds that can be served cold

here

(worth a look for the Titanic stills alone):

1. Lambrusco from Italy.

  For goodness sake, give this wine a chance! Pretty much every time I mention Lambrusco, I hear "ehhhh..." Ignore this instinct! Lambrusco has brought red bubbles back!! (I know, I am a nerd!). 

Lambrusco is an Italian grape grown primarily in Emilia-Romagna. For almost 10 years, wine writers have been attempting to distinguish Lambrusco today from the fizzy sugar bomb of the 1970s. Lambrusco today can be dry, fresh with tangy fruit and subtle earth flavors. It's made to be consumed young and chilled.

2. Beaujolais from France.

  First, when it comes to Beaujolais you may ask - what is the difference between Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais, and Beaujolais Villages? Here's the spark notes version: consider Beaujolais Noveau

separate

 from Beaujolais.

• Beaujolais has three different quality levels:
  • Beaujolais = basic and lowest price.
  • Beaujolais-Villages = wine from 35 specific villages that consistently produce better quality wine.
  • Cru = highest quality and price.
  • Beaujolais Nouveau: Considered a different style of wine, it's fruity, light and meant to be consumed earlier than typical Beaujolais.

3. Pinot Noir (likely old world).  

I have seen Pinot Noir on some lists of suggested reds that can be chilled - but personally, I am torn. (I see a tasting in my future on this one).

Photo Source: 

http://winemonger.com/catalog/

grapes_info.php?grape_name_id=172

4. Barbera d'Asti from Italy.  

Translation... wine made from the Barbera

(grape)

 in the hilly provence Asti

(place - Northwest Italy, Piedmont).

Barbera is juicy with light to medium body. Unlike the creamy, oaked reds Americans are used to, Barbera retains its acidity and may be dry from tannin.

5. Malbec from Argentina.  

Malbec typically has a spicy taste, which when chilled is thicker, rounder and more pronounced. And while the spice is thicker, the wine itself seems to have lighter body which is refreshing on warmer days.

Generally if you want to drink red cold, just remember...

go for something unoaked or lightly oaked; moderate alcohol; light to medium body; and low to medium tannin.

Cheers!