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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!



At one minute past midnight on the third Thursday of November, Beaujolais Nouveau, made from the Gamay grape, is officially released. There aren't many wines that provoke a reaction as strong as Beaujolais Nouveau. You either love it or hate it. Just a few weeks old and barely through fermentation, this grapey wine has become, for better or worse, a worldwide phenomenon.

What Is It?
Loved for its simplicity, Beaujolais Nouveau is fruity and ready to drink. It is amazing to realize that just weeks before this wine's release it was a cluster of grapes in a growers vineyard and within six weeks after the harvest, the wine is shipped quickly around the world. It has become a worldwide race to be the first to serve to this new wine of the harvest. In doing so, it has been carried by motorcycle, balloon, truck, helicopter, Concorde jet, elephant and runners to get it to its final destination.

The Debate
Beaujolais Nouveau provokes debate among amateurs and connoisseurs. From the connoisseur's standpoint, Beaujolais Nouveau has three strikes against it. The grapes come from the less distinguished vineyards in the Beaujolais region. They're picked early, before they have time to develop sufficient natural sugar and flavor. And the wine is almost always consumed in infancy, before it can develop enough complexity to be taken seriously. For others, drinking Beaujolais is a casual endeavor, and doesn't demand deep thought or deep pockets.

How To Serve It
This wine is meant to be drunk upon release and appears on shelves timed perfectly for Thanksgiving dinner. Beaujolais Nouveau should be served at "cellar temperature" that is, slightly chilled (cool, not cold) to bring out its cherry flavor. It goes with a wide variety of foods and pairs well with rich and fatty foods because the high acidity of the wine cuts through them perfectly. Its fruitiness is terrific as a counterpoint to spicy dishes, as well as, grilled sausages and soft goat cheese.

Cru Wines To Try
If you consider basic Beaujolais a bit lightweight look to the crus Beaujolais from the region's top 10 villages. While the grape remains the same—Gamay Noir—the quality is typically several notches above that of a Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages. Some to look for; Louis Jadot Fleurie, Georges Duboeuf Morgon Jean Descombes, Joseph Drouhin Brouilly.

No one claims it's wine worth a critic's review, but Beaujolais Nouveau has won the hearts of consumers. Maybe it is a long way from the pinnacle of what wine can be, but it is a wonderful reminder of what wine is; so give this juicy wine a try and drink a toast to the new vintage.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Chardonnay 101

How popular is Chardonnay? Popular enough to have sparked a backlash, like the ABC Club – Anything But Chardonnay. Almost without question Chardonnay is the world’s greatest white wine. With characteristics ranging from citrus and green apple in cool climates to pear, tropical fruit and fig in warmer areas, this classic white wine grape of Burgundy, has become a worldwide favorite.

Growing Regions:
Chardonnay grows in nearly every wine producing area in the world but it shines in Burgundy, France. The french versions are often described as being more restrained and higher in acidity. Burgundy produces Chardonnay under many local place names such as Chablis, Pouilly-Fuissé and Meursault as well as wines with Montrachet in the name and in Champagne it turns into Blanc de Blancs. Among the many other countries that have caught Chardonnay fever America, Australia and Chile are standouts.

Style Variations:
Chardonnay styles can vary dramatically based on origin and winemaker. When well made, Chardonnay offers bold, ripe, rich and intense fruit flavors of apple, fig, melon, pear, peach, pineapple, lemon and grapefruit, along with spice, honey, butter, butterscotch and hazelnut flavors. Winemakers build more complexity into this easy-to-manipulate wine using common vinification techniques: Look for the following words on Chardonnay labels: barrel fermented (which imparts toasty oak flavors); cold fermented (which preserves fresh, youthful fruit flavors); and lees contact or sur lie (increasing the contact time between the lees, or sediment, and the wine to add complexity and richness).

Food Pairings:
Pair Chardonnay in the leaner Burgundian style with roasted chicken or seafood; the more voluptuous New World Chardonnay can match the buttery richness of pasta dishes made with cream or cheese, with lobster or other rich seafood.Caution: Chardonnay can be hard to match with food if it is high in alcohol (13-14%) or has a lot of oak flavor creating a heavier weight and body. Spicy food tends to accentuate the alcohol and oak in the wine and usually are not pleasant together.

As Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of reds, so is Chardonnay the king of white wines making consistently excellent, rich and complex whites. This is an amazingly versatile grape as it grows well in a variety of locations throughout the world and creates widely varied wines.