Beaujolais Nouveau Day - Grape to Grain Wine Tasting
To celebrate this year's release of Gamay from Beaujolais we will be drinking some 'Vin de Primeur' before going deep on 4 Cru Beaujolais!!
Beaujolais Nouveau Day celebrates the new harvest of well... Beaujolais Nouveau. A unique wine which is released on the third Thursday in November, just a few weeks after the grapes were harvested. The wines are exceptionally light, easy-drinking and meant to be enjoyed YOUNG!
The Nouveau Day traditions date back to the 1800s when growers would celebrate the harvest. Around this time, Lyonnais barkeepers and restaurateurs would buy barrels of this new Beaujolais and dish it out by dipped pitchers into barrels.
Eventually, word of the festivities spread to Paris and Beaujolais Nouveau Day began to be an ever ostentatious display of getting the new harvest to the bars and restaurants of Paris. The trend then spread throughout the world with the latest batch of Beaujolais Nouveau being transported by Concorde, Hot Air Balloon and even Elephant.
Luckily, we at Grape to Grain didn't have to go through anything so outlandish to get our batch of Beaujolais. Regardless, it's a fun day in an oenophiles calendar and a great excuse to try some lovely wines.
Robert Sarrau Le Bouquet Beaujolais Nouveau [£22.50]
- Exactly what you'd expect from a Nouveau. It is light and fresh, with a bracing acidity. The wine will deliver notes of fresh red fruits, red berries and violets. Another great year for Robert Sarrau.
Dominique Morel Beaujolais-Villages [£24]
- Here, we go a step up in the world of Beaujolais. This wine comes from 45 year old bush vines just north of the Fleurie region. A truly standout village wine that presents soft tannins, crisp acidity and concentrated notes of cherries and red berries.
Domaine Gregoire Hoppenot Fleurie [£54.50]
- The first of the Hoppenot wines to be organically certified. It comes from vines 300 metres above sea level on south and east facing slopes. A rich and concentrated Beaujolais that still delivers on acidity and fresh red fruit characteristics.
Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Cotes du Py [£35]
- This wine has been aged in concrete, as Jean-Marc notes that "Gamay has a difficult relationship with oak". Instead, the fresh, bright and vibrant fruit flavours are allowed to shine. It is certainly light and fresh but, thanks to old vine grapes and vine placement, it boasts deeply concentrated and powerful tastings notes.
Chateau de Moulin-a-Vent La Rochelle [£74.50]
- Another cru Beaujolais, with a fair amount more body and tannin than other examples in the tasting. Half the wine was also aged in French oak barrels, which adds a subtle cedar and woody spice aroma to the wine. However, red fruit flavours still shine through. You'll be able to note flavours of ripe strawberries, red cherry, raspberry and subtle hints of flint and sage.
Don't Miss Out!
Make sure to check out our wine tastings and monthly wine club, if you want to try great wines like the ones mentioned in this blog post. Links below:
- Manchester Wine Tastings & Events
- Sauce Subscription (Monthly Wine Club)