Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 est arrive!

By Stephan DuCoup

Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive! If October was the month of the pumpkin, November will definitely be the month of the grapevine. But what is this damn Bueajolais Nouveau we keep hearing about?

Beaujolais is the name of a little village and an area located to the southeast of Paris where they produce, mais oui, Beaujolais wine. Beaujolais Nouveau is a local event to celebrate the youngest wine of the year, which became a worldwide wine festival a few decades ago. This year, again, more than 20 million bottles are to be exported around the world - and Japan takes more than 40% of the world's share! It’s a big business here.

There are special airplanes full of Beaujolais Nouveau which depart from Charles de Gaulle Airport and arrive in Tokyo. At this time of the year, this young wine gets more priority on international transportation than a visiting diplomat. If you have to make an international flight during the delivery week, you might be refused your extra luggage because every plane is already full to the brim with Beaujolais Nouveau. Désolé! They might even have extra security checks at the airport, not because of the threat of a terrorist attack, but to deter illegal sales of Beaujolais Nouveau. This young wine is subject to strict regulations and should not be sold before the third Thursday of November, and that only makes the importing procedure even more rushed.

Really, this tradition is more like a Japanese matsuri than a gourmet rendez-vous. It was created to celebrate this youngest wine immediately after the vintage. It became another opportunity to party, drink wine and get a wonderful headache the following day! Every year, they try to put a new fragrance in it - banana, kiwi, whatever - so maybe this year we can expect pumpkin or green tea... Who knows?

If you're worried that November will turn you into an alcoholic, let me say: Pas de problèmes! Don't you know that wine is good for the body? Yeah, it's medically proven. Doctors around the world agree that one glass of red wine a day can help you to reduce the risk of some heart diseases. It's also well known that alcohol solves heartbreak stories. Remember last month, when you got heartbroken by your lovely new ex-girlfriend? Then what did you do next? You got yourself a glass of wine, listened to some Sinatra and stared at the pictures of your romantic honeymoon last summer. Didn't you feel better? Well, it proves that wine is good for the heart. By the way, when the Japanese hit the glass they say "Kanpai!", when the Anglo-Saxons hit the glass, they say "Cheers!" ... and what do you think we Frenchies say? We say "Santé!", which means "health"!

Latest Forum Threads