Tomorrow, November 20, is the third Thursday in November, the day Beaujolais Nouveau is released. Beaujolais Nouveau is a very young wine, light and fruity. According to Dr. Vino, Georges Duboeuf is the the largest shipper of Beaujolais Nouveau.
Critics of Beaujolais Nouveau contend that most of it tastes like grape juice. Forgetting about the Nouveau, and purchasing instead plain-old Beaujolais, is the recommendation of Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher in their Wall Street Journal column "Tastings".
Real Beaujolais, as they call it, arrives one year after the harvest and "is one of the most perfect wines around: easy to drink, versatile with food, and inexpensive." Purchase the 2007 vintage now. While there is some Beaujolais that can successfully age a bit, you need to do some research to find that product. What is essential is avoiding ". . . an old Beaujolais that has been sitting on a market shelf for two years because it would likely be a tired, bad example of an older Beaujolais," write Gaiter and Brecher. So when in doubt, stick with 2007.
Gaiter and Brecher's article has recommendations for putting together a case of Beaujolais, including white Beaujolais. Whether its a case or just a bottle or two, check out real Beaujolais.
