Wednesdays on the BottleBlog will feature an education session on wine, beer or spirits. Today Shannon Spare shares her experiences as a beginner in the World of Wine.
Early last week, a fan on our Facebook page posted a message for us asking, "When does Beaujolais Nouveau 2010 go on sale?" The inquiry piqued my interest, so I did some research to find out what the big deal about this wine was.Beaujolais Nouveau is made from a grape called Gamay. Gamay is a very virile grape, easy to grow, generally yielding abundant harvests. Each year in early October, the grapes are harvested by hand and made into the wine, which is traditionally released the week before Thanksgiving with great fanfare. "Beaujolais Day" is celebrated worldwide, with events and parties marking the occasion.
The young wine itself is generally very easy to drink and tremendously fruit-forward. It's a red that's meant to be served lightly chilled to about 55 degrees. Because of the timing of the release, it's one of the most popular wines on Thanksgiving tables.
Last night I decided to "work from home," if you will, and open up a bottle of Georges Duboeuf's 2010 Beaujolais Nouveau to drink with my dinner. (Incidentally, Joe Canal's has plenty of stock for the holidays, priced at $9.49 Regular, $7.33 BottleClub.) I noticed right away that it's brighter and more vibrant in color than other wines I've been drinking lately; It's really more of a purple than a red, even. The aroma is very fruity and sweet, it reminded me somewhat of a summertime sangria, a personal favorite. The taste was very light and fruity, and a little more acidic and tannic than I expected. I can see how it would pair well with turkey and all the trimmings, especially a nice chunky cranberry sauce.
What do you think of the 2010 Beaujolais Nouveau? How does it compare with past vintages? I'd love to hear your comments, feel free to leave me one below.
Thanks for reading Wine 101, and have a happy, fantastic Thanksgiving!
I have read somewhere thought that you cannot keep this wine for long; that it turns acidic after 6 mos or so. Is this true?
ReplyDeleteWhile it's true that the wine is meant to be enjoyed while it's young, our wine manager Mark Ricca recommends a shelf life of one year as a rule of thumb. If you find an older vintage in your collection, you can give it a try and if it's not to your taste, you can always cook with it!
ReplyDelete