The fourth Thursday of November will always be Thanksgiving, but if you’re an oenophile, it’s the third Thursday that you look forward to. That’s when Beaujolais Nouveau, the vinicultural herald of the holiday season, is released.
Beaujolais, like most French wines, is named for the region, not the grape, from which it hails. Beaujolais is a thirty-five-mile strip of granite hills between Lyons and Macon in Eastern France. Cultivated from the Gamay grape, Beaujolais is a light, fruity, and inexpensive red wine, ordinarily drunk young.
Beaujolais quality is divided into three tiers. The first is generic Beaujolais, an amalgamation of grapes from various undistinguished, but respectable vineyards, mostly in the southern part of the district.
Next, “Beaujolais-Villages,” emanates from thirty-nine villages in the northern sector and is more concentrated than basic Beaujolais.
Finally, the pinnacle of Beaujolais is ten crus: villages with top vineyards—such as Saint-Amour or Moulin-à-Vent. Wine from these crus exhibits the greatest depth and quality.
At the other extreme is Beaujolais Nouveau, the lightest, fruitiest, and earliest consumed Beaujolais. While standard Beaujolais, and especially the Villages and crus, are aged for about a year before distribution, Beaujolais Nouveau is released seven to nine weeks after the harvest. This results in a grapier tasting wine.
Thanksgiving, a mere week after Beaujolais Nouveau’s issuance, is traditionally linked to it. But wait. Red wine with turkey? What about the white wine with fish and fowl rule? Well, the red-wine/red-meat vs. white-wine/white-meat dichotomy is less rigid than popular wisdom suggests. It is only a general guideline that can be culinarily sidestepped based on the nature of the specific wine and food.
Stouter white meats, especially in heavier or assertive sauces, can be paired with light and fruity reds. The low to mid-fifties is the ideal serving temperature for Beaujolais Nouveau.
This November, let Beaujolais Nouveau complete the feast.