brownie Posted November 16, 2005 Report Posted November 16, 2005 The 2005 Beaujolais Nouveau wine goes on sale at 2300GMT today. Beaujolais Nouveau parties will be going through the country tonight. It will make a nice change from the recent car-burning competitions! The year's crop should be good. Just a reminder that there is no need to rush to taste the Nouveau wine. Much too early. Wait a couple of months before enjoying it! There are a lot of older wines to be tasted while waiting It's been a bad year for Beaujolais winegrowers with sales of their wines on the down side. The area winegrowers - most of them at least - have only themselves to blame after inflating prices of their wines, adding sugar to 'improve' the taste, or deliberately cheating like Beaujolais top grower Georges Duboeuf who is facing an inquiry for selling wines with the Beaujolais labels that included wines from non-Beaujolais areas. Very strictly prohibited in the French wine trade! I'll enjoy wine later today, as I have for so many years. But no Beaujolais Nouveau right now! Quote
Peter Johnson Posted November 16, 2005 Report Posted November 16, 2005 Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! Although I recommend something more along the lines of this: À votre santé, Brownie! Quote
brownie Posted November 16, 2005 Author Report Posted November 16, 2005 A bit early for Beaujolais Nouveau but just about time for Chateau Margaux 1975. Excellent year which should be drunk by now. Wish I could drink from that one Quote
ASNL77 Posted November 16, 2005 Report Posted November 16, 2005 (edited) The 2005 Beaujolais Nouveau wine goes on sale at 2300GMT today. Beaujolais Nouveau parties will be going through the country tonight. It will make a nice change from the recent car-burning competitions! The year's crop should be good. Just a reminder that there is no need to rush to taste the Nouveau wine. Much too early. Wait a couple of months before enjoying it! There are a lot of older wines to be tasted while waiting It's been a bad year for Beaujolais winegrowers with sales of their wines on the down side. The area winegrowers - most of them at least - have only themselves to blame after inflating prices of their wines, adding sugar to 'improve' the taste, or deliberately cheating like Beaujolais top grower Georges Duboeuf who is facing an inquiry for selling wines with the Beaujolais labels that included wines from non-Beaujolais areas. Very strictly prohibited in the French wine trade! I'll enjoy wine later today, as I have for so many years. But no Beaujolais Nouveau right now! ← It is definitely one of the things I miss from France. I like the tradition of the 'Beaujolais Nouveau'. Tell us what you think of this year's flavour Brownie. Is that banana, strawberry, raspberry, pineapple etc... And if you are not quite sure, please send me a bottle and I will help you to find out. Edited November 16, 2005 by ASNL77 Quote
J.A.W. Posted November 16, 2005 Report Posted November 16, 2005 Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! Although I recommend something more along the lines of this: À votre santé, Brownie! ← [Drool...] Quote
Kevin Bresnahan Posted November 16, 2005 Report Posted November 16, 2005 Californian wine fan here... Although I do enjoy the Beaujolais Nouveau. I didn't relaize it needed to sit. I was always told to drink it asap as it would only go downhill after bottling. Hmm. Maybe I should pick up a couple of bottles and stash them? Quote
ASNL77 Posted November 16, 2005 Report Posted November 16, 2005 Californian wine fan here... Although I do enjoy the Beaujolais Nouveau. I didn't relaize it needed to sit. I was always told to drink it asap as it would only go downhill after bottling. Hmm. Maybe I should pick up a couple of bottles and stash them? ← You are right. You do not want to keep it for a long time. Do not buy so many bottles if you do not intend to drink them in the next 6-9 months. Quote
John L Posted November 16, 2005 Report Posted November 16, 2005 The best way to drink Beaujolais Nouveau is right out of the barrel: chug-a-lug I didn't realize that Duboeuf is facing charges like that. I have always treated his labels as a guarantee of quality from the Beaujolais region! The main commercial problem for Beaujolais is all of the cheap fresh, fruity wine for early consumption, including Nouveau, that is now made in so many countries of the world. I still really appreciate a nice cool bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau at least a few times a year. That bright bubble gum flavor reminds me of my days of buying packs of baseball cards and praying for a Willie Mays. Quote
brownie Posted November 16, 2005 Author Report Posted November 16, 2005 (edited) John, there is an interesting article in today's edition of Le Monde that mentions Duboeuf's woes: http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-...6-710762,0.html If I remember well, you have no problems with the french language so the story should go down easy! As for drinking Beaujolais Nouveau, short of drinking it right out of the barrel, a trip to the area of to the good city of Lyon is always quite an experience. Too bad that the local winegrowers produced too many doctored bottles to suit the taste of new customers. There is still good Beaujolais being made, but you have to be very selective about it. Beaujolais land never produced great wines but kept putting out for decades bottles that were so enjoyable to drink. A pity these are hard to find nowadays. Edited November 16, 2005 by brownie Quote
sidewinder Posted November 17, 2005 Report Posted November 17, 2005 I always thought of 'Beaujolais Nouveau' as a marketing gimmick to entice millions of gullible Brits rush up to the wine store once a year to spend way too much on inferior wine that the French won't drink themselves. Has the stuff improved? Quote
brownie Posted November 17, 2005 Author Report Posted November 17, 2005 After warning people to wait some time for a first taste of the 2005 Beaujolais, I did succomb to the brouhaba! Got a bottle pf Beaujolais Village Nouveau from Joseph Drouhin which turned out to be quite enjoyable. With no (or at least very little) chemistry enhancement. Pretty true to what the wine should taste. It went down with Saucisson from Lyon and other unmentionable charcuteries. Quote
John L Posted November 17, 2005 Report Posted November 17, 2005 Brownie: Thanks for that interesting article. Sidwinder: It is mistake is to compare Beaujolais Nouveau with other, more serious wine. It is a beverage that is somewhere between beer and wine. It can be consumed cooler and faster than most other red wine without sacrificing anything. You don't even need wine glasses. Despite the obvious commerical interests, I really like the holiday. It is something like the traditional celebration of the harvest in the best spirit of civilization and wild good times. Quote
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