Something Nouveau

Yesterday, the 20th, was a big day in France, nearing an unofficial national holiday. It has spread internationally to a certain degree, and it has become more popular in the U.S. I speak of the annual wine harvest, harbingered by the coordinated and orchestrated rollout of the Beaujolais Nouveau, or New Wine. (There are actually new wines coming from a number of grape-growing regions of France, but Beaujolais is by far the most prominent.) Now, connoisseurs and many other French people turn up their noses at the new wine celebration, insisting that they would never touch the stuff. To them, it's pretend wine, not fit for drinking, and they will wait for the more aged and full-bodied wines that will be available in the coming months. But for those of us with a less sophisticated palate, or a natural affinity for light-tasting red wine, this is a good time. In the States, one name is synonymous with the Beaujolais Nouveau. Yep, good ole Georges Debuœf. This has more to do with pure marketing skill and power than anything else. However, I've yet to see a bottle from his vineyards here in Paris. A quick trip to the supermarket turns up 10 different brands from little vineyards you've never heard of but have been in business since the 18th century. The prices, from the supermarket to the specialty wine shops, are remarkably consistent. Nothing lower than 4€ and nothing higher than 5€.

Whatever your feelings are about young wines, this year portends to be extraordinary across the winemaking spectrum. The late-summer heatwave here in France that resulted in more than 15,000 deaths (and that mercifully ended about 2 weeks before we arrived) was torturous according to our friends who have been living here. This is a Country Without Air-Conditioning, and is just not far enough south for the people to be accustomed to the heat. It wrecked whole crops of fruits and vegetables. But for the vintners, it was a godsend. Unlike other fruit crops, the winemakers hope for a lot of rain early on in the summer, and then hot and dry for an extended period later on. And that is exactly what they got. The heat and lack of rain late in the summer means a lower yield in terms of quantity. But the grapes that made it through will have more intense flavor and character, and will become some truly spectacular wines. They are already predicting that this will be the best year for wines in the last 50 years. So it's likely that even those maligned Nouveaus are going to be exceptionally good. Salud!