With its release each year on the third Thursday of every November, Beaujolais Nouveau signifies the start of the holiday season. Made from Gamay grapes grown in the Beaujolais region of France, it is an immature wine that goes from vine to bottle in a matter of weeks. It is intended for immediate consumption, making it a popular Thanksgiving Day tradition.Each year, the vintners race to be the first to deliver their "primeur" product to the marketplace. French law does not allow the product to be released prior to midnight on the third Thursday of November. Due to limited production quantities, consumers then race to get their share.
Mine made it to the shelves of the state liquor store in the middle of Pennsylvania by that Thursday afternoon. When I went to purchase the Georges Duboeuf at 7:00pm Friday evening, only four bottles were left from the initial 15 case shipment. I bought all four. Since I'm not particularly patient, I busted open the first bottle that evening. But I plan to consume another with the bird this afternoon.
It may not be the greatest wine I've ever tasted, but the excitement surrounding its release makes it almost as much fun as a trip to the Finger Lakes.
So anyway... Happy Thanksgiving!
1 comment:
Picked ourselves up a bottle this morning along with a sixer of Full Moon Winter Ale and Dalwhinnie 15-year Scotch (aka "The Gentle Spirit"). Black-out Friday has begun!
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