by Vic Harradine
Millions of bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau will be put on sale November 20 at 12:01 am local time all over the world. The LCBO will release nine brands at store opening Thursday, November 20. Six are Beaujolais Nouveau from France along with three similar-styled wines, two from Italy and one from Ontario. Eight made their way to Ottawa and they’re reviewed far below—the Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau went missing for the tasting, but should be in stores for the release. Here’s a brief refresher on Beaujolais Nouveau to get you back up to speed.
The skinny on Beaujolais Nouveau:
1) What is it? - red wine made from this year’s vintage, from hand-picked Gamay grapes in Beaujolais, France which is a large wine region just south of Burgundy. They also make red wine that is not ‘Nouveau’ in Beaujolais that’s aged for months or longer before being released—all Beaujolais wine is not Beaujolais Nouveau.
2) Why the fuss now? – every year on the third Thursday of November the wine of the new Beaujolais vintage is released all over the world at exactly 12:01 am local time. This has been a popular tradition, with slight variation in the exact release date, since the 1950s. It started over a century ago in Beaujolais, France and at one time wineries raced to be the first to reach Paris with wine from the new vintage. Italy now exports a similar-styled red with two reviewed below and Ontario has one that’s also reviewed below.
3) What’s different about the wine? – it’s a value-laden, young wine that’s fruity and drink-me-now friendly with good acidity and very little tannin because of the ‘special way’ it’s fermented.
4) What’s the ‘special way’? – rather than being manually pressed, grapes are placed in huge vats, then sealed with CO2 pumped in. By virtue of the weight of the grapes, some on the bottom have their skins broken and natural fermentation does take place, producing even more CO2. As a result, many grapes undergo whole-berry, anaerobic fermentation—aka carbonic maceration—even though their skins are not broken. Via this process, most tannin remains in the skins and the wine is enjoyably consumed very early.
5) How do I serve it? – slightly chilled—twenty minutes in the fridge before pouring—in a glass… any glass. Perhaps a water glass, coffee mug, plastic glass, tea cup or wine glass, just about anything that makes it easier than drinking from the bottle.
6) What does it taste like? – most people think it’s quite fruity, not like fruit flavours in most red wine that might be difficult to discern, but like real fruit, especially red fruit like strawberry and raspberry along with spice. Not surprisingly, since it was only a few weeks ago they were grapes, people often think it also tastes and smells well… grapey. Forget about swirling, sniffing, gurgling, aerating/decanting or pontificating on the wine’s virtues. This wine is for fun, pure enjoyment, best with friends and food—up to the lips, over the gums, look out stomach, here it comes.
7) What type of food goes well? – this fun, unpretentious wine was made to be drunk with food that’s similar, especially a deli platter. Things like salami, capicolla, chorizo, shaved ham, pepperoni, or your favourite cured meats. Try pate, garlic dills, cheese curds, Camembert, Époisses, Brie de Meaux or your favourite cheese. Bruschetta and a baguette also work well. If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving, it’s a great match for turkey dinner or you can keep the wine until Christmas 2014 and have it then.
8) Can I age this wine? – You could, but for the majority of these, they’re as good now as they ever will be and in about six or seven months they’ll be losing primary fruit flavours and freshness, and these two things are what makes them so delightful.
The following eight wines were tasted in Ottawa on Wednesday, November 19th. They’re rated in three categories, Good, Better and Best.
Photo courtesy Debbie Trenholm of Savvy Company
Good
Georges Duboeuf Gamay Nouveau 2014
Vin de Pays de L'Ardeche, France $9.95 (891846) 12.0% alcohol
There are loads of spices and dark berry fruit aromas on the nose. It streaks across the palate with great acidity and tang-laden red berry fruit flavour. It finishes full of nerve and verve with cranberry and passion fruit.
Tollo Giocale ‘Novello’ 2014
IGT Rosso Terre di Chietti, Italy $9.45 (271759) 12.5% alcohol
Quite dark hued in the glass, strawberry, cherry and spice aromas fill the air introducing a tangy, racy ribbon of red cherry and blood orange on the palate, persisting through the dry, mouth-watering finish and aftertaste.
Better
Reif Estate ‘The Fool’ Gamay Nouveau 2014
VQA Niagara River, Ontario $11.95 (220483) 12.0% alcohol
Cherry cola and spice aromas mingle with piquant spice on the lifted nose. It’s loaded with sweet flavours—raspberry and cherry—and oodles of tang—cranberry and sour cherry that mingle on the palate and fresh, lively finish.
Drouhin ‘Primeur’ Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2014
AOC Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, France $15.95 (113266) 12.5% alcohol
There’s a boatload of spice aromas along with berry fruit on the nose. There’s a solid line of acidity on the palate —passion fruit and pomegranate—persisting through the lengthy finish alongside soft tannin.
Catalans Primeur Syrah-Merlot 2014
IGP Pays d’Oc, France $9.95 (220533) 13.0% alcohol
With all eight wines poured and lined up, this is certainly one of the darker hued. Very fragrant aromas of floral notes and spice precede a pleasing wash of spice-infused soft red fruit—strawberry and plum. There are bare wisps of tannin on the fruit-filled finish.
Art’s Beaujolais Primeur 2014
AOP Beaujolais Primeur, France $13.95 (366476) 12.0% alcohol
Floral and grape bubblegum aromas open the door to a river of red fruit—plum, raspberry and cherry—with plenty of spice to boot. It finishes with good acidity—sour cherry and red grapefruit—plus lots of spice.
Best
Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2014
AOC Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, France $14.95 (932780) 12.0% alcohol
From the doyen of Beaujolais, this has a lovely nose of dark berry fruit, spice and lilacs. It’s fruit-laden, fresh and lively. Flavours of red cherry and cranberry dominate the palate and aftertaste joined by black berry on the lip-smacking finish. Delivers balance and charm.
Cantina Negra ‘Novello Del Veneto’ 2014
IGT Novello Del Veneto, Italy $9.95 (899955) 12.0% alcohol
This easily rates as the best-value wine in the tasting. Rich aromas of exotic spice and incense precede a spice-laden river of red and dark berry fruit—black currant, strawberry and raspberry—washing over the palate infusing the lip-smacking finish. This is fresh and lively with primary fruit flavours and a delicious aftertaste.
Cheers, Vic