THE Wine for Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving: Do you know what type of wine you will be serving with the bird?

If you’re only pouring one wine for the festivities, make it a Riesling.

Riesling Grapes

A Riesling wine will compliment that savory turkey, dressing and gravy just as well as it accentuates the cranberry sauce and butternut squash. In fact, it will even pair nicely with a slice of pecan or pumpkin pie for dessert.

And Riesling has just the right acidic kick to keep your palate cleansed throughout the meal so you can enjoy those sweet and savory flavors together.

If you’re willing to have some fun with the meal, add a Beaujolais Nouveau. These wines were released last Thursday after aging on the skins for only six to eight weeks. Some years they are outstanding with notes of cherry. Other years there will be more berry notes.

Since Beaujolais Nouveau is a very fruit-forward wine, it pairs well with most Thanksgiving dishes. And if you remember that the point is to enjoy it NOW, you won’t be disappointed.

Whatever you’re serving tomorrow, may your meal be perfect, your wine faultless, and your day filled with happy memories!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Joy

It's Beaujolais Time!

Gamay Grapes

Tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. local time, the latest Beaujolais Nouveau will be released to the public. Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine crafted from Gamay grapes grown in the Beaujolais wine region in France. The grapes have been around since the 15^th century when Beaujolais Nouveau was just a regional wine enjoyed by locals celebrating the end of the harvest season.

But what began as a fad wine in the 1960s morphed into a cult wine for the 1980s and beyond. Wine critics won't give it much press, saying it's a gimmick fashioned mostly by French wine producer (of Beaujolais Nouveau, of course) Georges Duboeuf.

Georges Duboeuf

Duboeuf saw a way to market the new wine, and make a good profit from it – only a few weeks after the grapes had been hand-picked. It was a stroke of marketing genius when he held a race to Paris with the first bottles of this extremely young and immature vino. Media from around the world covered the story and by the 1970s it was an annual event.

In 1985, the date of release was legally changed to the third Thursday in November to take advantage of the holidays. 

Carbonic Maceration Occurring

Beaujolais Nouveau is unique in that the grapes are harvested and tossed in fermentation tanks without an official crush allowing for fermentation on the skins and a flavorful wine.  After only 6 to 8 weeks of carbonic maceration fermentation, the wine is bottled and shipped. The purplish-red color, light body, and very fruit-forward flavors only add to the mass appeal.

While wine critics don’t rave about it, many wine lovers do, lining up to purchase the limited number of cases at wine shops across the world, just in time for the holidays.

Each vintage tastes differently but generally you can expect the flavors of strawberry, cherry, and red raspberry in a bright, fresh wine that’s easy to drink, and fun to pair with holiday foods. (Think turkey, ham, and cranberry sauce.)

Beaujolais Nouveau is indeed a party in a bottle and you’ll see lots of festive decorations surrounding it in the liquor stores. Just remember, it’s meant to be enjoyed NOW. And unlike most red wines, this one will become more enjoyable if chilled for 20 – 30 minutes before serving. If you forget to cool it down, just add a few ice cubes!

Beaujolais Nouveau

Beaujolais Nouveau is a great wine to serve with Thanksgiving since it pairs well with those savory flavors.
 

Remember, this is supposed to be fun, so put aside any preconceived notions, kick back and enjoy this wine with friends because Beaujolais Nouveau will be gone very soon! 

And then you may find yourself waiting another year for that third Thursday in November…

~ Joy

 

It’s Beaujolais Nouveau Time

Each November, along with swirling leaves and crisp autumn air, another event occurs like clockwork  - the release of the latest Beaujolais Nouveau.

It occurs on the third Thursday of November at 12:01 a.m. local time, that’s when the current year’s Beaujolais is released to the public.

Gamay Grapes

Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine crafted from Gamay grapes grown in the Beaujolais wine region in France. The grapes have been around since the 15^th century and Beaujolais Nouveau was just a regional wine enjoyed by locals to celebrate the end of the harvest season.

But what began as a fad wine of the 1960s morphed into a cult wine for the 1980s, and beyond. Wine critics are hard pressed to give the wine much press, saying it is a gimmick fashioned mostly by French wine producer (of Beaujolais Nouveau) Georges Duboeuf.

Georges Duboeuf

Duboeuf saw a way to market the new wine and make a good profit from it – only a few weeks after the grapes had been hand picked. It was a stroke of marketing genius when he held a race to Paris with the first bottles of this extremely young and immature vino. Media from around the world covered the story and by the 1970s it was an annual event.

In 1985, the date of release was legally changed to the third Thursday in November to better take immediate advantage of the holidays. Beaujolais Nouveau is a great wine to serve with Thanksgiving, which occurs exactly one week later in the U.S. When you consider that close to 40 million bottles are released, mainly in Japan, Germany, and the U.S., this November release date just makes sense.

Beaujolais Nouveau

Beaujolais Nouveau is unique in that the grapes are

Carbonic Maceration Occurring

harvested and tossed in fermentation tanks without an official crush. This allows for fermentation on the skins, which results in more a flavorful wine.  After only 6 to 8 weeks of carbonic maceration fermentation, the wine is bottled and shipped. The wine is a purplish-red color, light bodied, and very fruit-forward, which adds to that mass appeal.

While wine critics don’t rave about it, many wine lovers do, lining up to purchase the limited
number of cases at wine shops across the world, just in time for the holidays.

In France, Beaujolais Nouveau even has its own day! This year over 120 celebrations will be held on November 21^st – a day filled with festivals, fireworks, music, dancing, and of course, wine tasting.

Each vintage tastes differently but generally you can expect the flavors of strawberry, cherry, and red raspberry in a bright, fresh wine that’s easy to drink, and fun to pair with holiday foods. (Think turkey, ham, and cranberry sauce.)

Ministry of Agriculture

But before you get ready to rush to your local wine shop demanding cases of the stuff, you should know that this year the French Ministry of Agriculture reports that 2013 was one of the worst harvests in the past 40 years. (Last year and 2011 were also poor harvest years.)

Millerandage

Officials indicate that hail damage from summer storms along with millerandage (a problem where the grapes differ in size and maturity but grow on the same vine) are two reasons for this year’s lower yields. And smaller yields mean higher prices. But this is Beaujolais Nouveau we’re talking about - This year a bottle of Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau http://www.duboeuf.com will run any where from $8.00 to $14.00 in the U.S.

Beaujolais Nouveau is indeed a party in a bottle, and you’ll see lots of festive decorations surrounding it in the liquor stores. Just remember that this wine has had very little fermentation and it’s meant to be enjoyed NOW. And, unlike most red wines, this one will become more enjoyable if chilled for 20 – 30 minutes before serving. If you forget to cool it down, no problem: just add a few ice cubes!

Remember, this is supposed to be fun, so put aside any preconceived notions, (no snobs allowed!) just kick back and enjoy this wine with friends because Beaujolais Nouveau will be gone very soon! And then you may find yourself waiting another year for that third Thursday in November…

~ Joy

Thanksgiving History and Wine

Thanksgiving is a traditional, and federal holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November. The National Proclamation of Thanksgiving was first declared by the Continental Congress in 1777. The days of Thanksgiving varied from year to year, but were celebrated with some regularity in the mid-17^th century after the harvest was in.

However, it was in 1863, when President Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday to be celebrated the fourth Thursday of November each year that Thanksgiving began to become a treasured holiday.

The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 at what is now the Plymouth Plantation. The three-day feast was held after the first successful harvest in the New World.  Over fifty Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians attended the celebration.

The foods of the first Thanksgiving varied somewhat from what we have today.  The Pilgrims did have access to wild turkeys, but there was also venison, eel, cod, bass, and waterfowl available.

Vegetables that were available included corn, onions, leeks, carrots, cabbage, various squash and pumpkins; nuts, dried fruits, cranberries, and apples.

In modern times, our Thanksgiving usually includes what has come to be known as traditional foods; turkey, dressing/stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, autumn vegetables such as sweet corn, beans, squash, and, of course, pumpkin pie. The choice of beverage usually includes tea, coffee, colas, wine, and beer.

But has wine always been a Thanksgiving staple?  According to information regarding what type of cargo the Mayflower carried – wine was regularly included on its shipping roles. The ship's hold could carry 180 oak casks of wine.  The Mayflower was typically loaded with wines from Bordeaux and La Rochelle, France for the return trip to England.

Wine was also listed in the supplies that were sent to the New World from England, along with beer, aqua vita, (a drink made from distilled wine or beer,) and hard cider.  As the colonists learned how to make these drinks in America, the beverages began to disappear from the shipping supply roles. 

While native grapes, fruits, and grains would have changed the taste of the wines, beers, and hard ciders, colonists learned how to work with them to craft flavorful beverages to enjoy with their meals.  By the mid-1600’s, hard cider was the drink of choice in the colonies.

Today, many wines are touted as excellent Thanksgiving wines – Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer/Traminette, and sparkling wines like Moscato, just to name a few. 

Another pairing idea - Beaujolais.  Georges Duboeuf knew that this wine would go wonderfully well with the normal autumn celebration fare, but Beaujolais was traditionally not released until December 15th.  With that in mind, Duboeuf released his Beaujolais on the third Thursday of November, and called it Beaujolais Nouveau. Now the third Thursday of November is heralded by the anticipated release of Beaujolais Nouveau, well ahead of the traditional Beaujolais release date, and just in time for autumn celebrations.

If you’re feeling adventurous, or would like to add a bit of authentic autumn flavor to your celebrations, consider a cranberry wine, or one crafted from pumpkins, persimmons, or apples.  

Regardless of your choice of foods and wines for this Thanksgiving, remember to be thankful that you have a wine glass, and grateful that there’s something in it! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving, & Enjoy!

~  Joy