Beaujolais Nouveau

[CtznCane]

I for one think that tomorrow is an important day in terms of wine. While I do not drink much French wine (I did 20 years ago but not now) I always go out and buy my share of Beaujolais Nouveau. Why? Tradition. Champagne is associated with New Years, and for myself the intro of Beaujolais Nouveau marks the beginning of the holiday season as well as the new vintage.

Traditions, be they in food, wine or elsewhere I think are a wonderful thing. Too many have come and gone. I worked in sales and sales managment in the auto industry from 1976 to 2001 (with about a years break.) One tradition in the car business that I miss (that any of you 50 and older will remember) is the October 1 intro of the new models. That use to be a great tradition and a very big deal (not to mention very profitable from a salesman's point of view.) Above all else though is that there was excitement. Excitement and anticipation. Not only is it something beneficial from a sales standpoint but from marking a point in the year.

I think the intro of Beaujolais Nouveau is not only great in terms of promoting French wine, and Beaujolais in particular, but because this is a tradition that can help expose more people to wine as well. I have friends who have Beaujolais parties. The hype is good. Sell the sizzle. It is not only a time to promote Beaujolais but a time to promote wine in general. As people who enjoy wine we should (imho) be out there using this as a time to try to get people interested and use this as a stepping stone.

Not only are intros good for sales, I think they have morale benefits as well. I wish California winemakers would have more traditional events. There are some, which is good, I wish there were more and they were more well published. I know for us, our big time of the year is the Barrel tasting weekend up in the Russian River/Alexander Valley area. The first weekend of March. Like clockwork. For us, that event not only marks the wine event but also sort of the beginning (or pre-beginning) of spring time.

I don't know but I urge others to get out there and support this beginning tomorrow. I like it too because it is easy to remember. 1 week before Thanksgiving. ---- Cheers!!! Here's to the start of a (hopefully) fun holiday season!

[divalasvegas]

Thanks for the reminder to this wine novice CtznCane. From what little I know, the season doesn't last long so I'll definitely be picking up a couple of bottles. The other great thing is that they're not too expensive, allowing for a relatively cheap education on wine for those like me. With Thanksgiving coming up next week and people cooking all manner of things, not just turkey, what foods are Beaujolais Nouveau friendly, including appetizers? I especially would like cheese pairing recommendations. And what types of dishes would you use this wine, as in cooking? Or perhaps not.

Any and all advice is appreciated.