With the cold days of December upon us, we need something to warm the cockles of our hearts. And the French have invented just what we need.
On the third Thursday in November, six to eight weeks after the grape harvest, Beaujolais Nouveau was released.
Beaujolais is a wine region south of Burgundy, France where almost all the grapes are the red Gamay. One third of the crop is used to make the Nouveau.
It was originally a way to celebrate the end of the harvest and a great cash flow for hungry vignerons. By the 1980s, Beaujolais Nouveau became a trend celebrated in Paris and beyond, including Vancouver. Georges Duboeuf, one of France’s important wine merchants, popularized Beaujolais Nouveau.
Nowadays, the trend in overseas markets has subsided. Some critics, such as Karen MacNeil wrote, “Drinking it gives you the same kind of silly pleasure as eating cookie dough.” But wine guru Robert M. Parker Jr. disagrees, calling those opinions, “ludicrous” and describes the wine as “delicious, zesty, exuberant, fresh, vibrantly fruity.”
I opened the Duboeuf 2016 Beaujolais Nouveau ($19.99) to see where I stood on this issue. I loved its purple red colour, a sign of a young red wine. Its nose reminded me of grapes in general and red fruit such as cherries, raspberries, and cranberries.
Sipping it revealed its lively and exuberant flavour. This is due to its youth and its bracing acidity, and also carbonic maceration, where the grapes undergo an anaerobic fermentation accentuating the fruitiness.
The Georgia Straight’s Kurtis Kolt remarked that during his recent visit to Beaujolais, he was surprised that “plates of charcuterie sausage and cheese were served during our tastings. The high-acid, fruit, berry-driven character of each of the pours cut perfectly through the richness of those bites, washing down their saltiness admirably.”
Having read this, I then enjoyed pieces of Steveston’s Sausage Haus Biermeister sausage and Kolt’s recommendation was indeed correct.
Next, I uncorked the regular style of Beaujolais, a Georges Duboeuf 2014 Beaujolais ($13.99). This is a slightly aged wine (two years old) which is a deeper red burgundy colour indicating its fuller flavour. It has a seductive violet and cherry scent with a richer fruit flavour than the Nouveau.
I also enjoyed its hint of black pepper in the taste. It is smoother because it is older so the tartness of the acid is reduced with age.
Like the Nouveau, it is an excellent food wine, going well with many appetizers: charcuterie, holiday ham, and festive turkey when served chilled. And for cheese lovers, French Morbière with its line of ash half-way through the cheese, is a match made in Beaujolais, if not heaven!
Eric Hanson is a retired teacher and wine educator
