Beaujolias

Beaujolais is a simple bistro-style wine. Made from gamay grapes, it comes from France, in the southernmost section of Burgundy. Beaujolais Nouveau, a young wine that sometimes only takes six weeks in its journey from vine to retail, has a cult following. First of all because it is seen as an indication of how good a particular Burgundy vintage will be. It's also a popular American Thanksgiving wine since it's, by law, released only a minute after midnight on the third Thursday of November.

In the past, the closest I've come to a young wine like this is a couple of glasses of heurigen wine that I experienced on a trip to Austria in the 1980's. Since then, I've been offered a couple glasses of Beaujolais Nouveau and wasn't really a fan. It was a bit too sweet and simple for my tastes. As I've mentioned before though, I am a recent convert. We had a bottle at our recent pot-luck wine dinner and it was more complex and less treacly than I remembered. That may be a function of the vintage...or of my evolving palate. Anyway...

In France's bistros, Beaujolais is a wine you'd probably be served in a glass tumbler with simple fare like grilled sausages and potatoes. At home, you might serve it with meat loaf or even spaghetti. Traditionally, it's slightly chilled before serving.

Of course, Beaujolais Nouveau is not the only wine that comes from the region. Beaujolais Villages is made from grapes from one of the villages in the region where the grapes are considered top-notch. (Opened a nice bottle of Beaujolais Villages from Reserve de Valfleury the other night. It had a good berry fruitness, but also a touch of spice that made it perfect for the simply baked chicken breasts we had it with.) Even one step higher are the cru Beaujolais from 10 specific villages where the soil helps to create superior grapes.

So, try Beaujolais. If you go for the nouveau, make sure you drink it up by early spring. It's not a wine that ages well. And even the Villages and cru aren't real candidates for the cellar. These are value wines (less than $15 for the highest priced!) and should be drunk at will.