Fresh and Nouveau

Beaujolais nouveau is shipped throughout the world at this time of year, to be sold on the third Thursday of November. It arrives in North America the week prior to American Thanksgiving, where it proves itself rather suitable for turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

Beaujolais nouveau is not a complex wine, but more of a bright, fruit-driven wine that leaves little or no tannins and is light on the palate. The carbonic maceration process places hand-harvested clusters of Gamay grapes in a tank, where the weight of the fruit gently presses the juice from the grapes without exposing the juice to the bitter seed tannins. Protected by a layer of carbon dioxide, the juice begins to ferment—producing even more carbon dioxide—which then causes fermentation to take place in the grape clusters that remain uncrushed. The resulting wine, produced without exposure to oxygen, is fresh and fruit forward. Given its method of production, beaujolais nouveau will not improve with age and is best consumed within a year.

When the Beaujolais AOC was established in 1937, the celebration was only local. Prior to the Second World War, the wine was only released on December 15, just in time for the holiday festivities. In 1951, the rules were revised to release Beaujolais nouveau on November 15, and a new marketing campaign began. A competition to deliver the wine by the fastest trains of the day was initiated among Parisian restaurants, eager to be the first to offer the release. Hotels and restaurants in the UK then clamoured to be the first to obtain the wine via cross-channel ferry and rail service. Demand for the wine mushroomed.

It is a remarkable display of marketing and business acumen. Bright labels vary from year to year to attract the consumer’s eye. Beaujolais nouveau producers receive cash flow at a time of year when the outgoing normally exceeds the incoming. The success was bound to attract imitiations. In Spain, vino nuevo is made from tempranillo. In Italy, vino novello is usually made from dolcetto grapes. In North America, it is called nouveau wine and can be made from zinfandel, pinot noir, gamay, or sometimes even riesling.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
This week in the County, Hillier Creek Estates will release its 2014 Gamay Nouveau, and Broken Stone Winery will present a Pinot Noir Nouveau for our enjoyment. Since these wines are just about to be released, I have yet to try them. But don’t miss the opportunity to stock up on these fresh, fruitdriven treats. Enjoy them with appetizers or turkey dinner during the holidays.