It is that time of year again, and I am not talking about all the ski hills opening early. There is another reason to get out of bed tomorrow; tonight at midnight Beaujolais Nouveau will be released to wine consumers around the world!Beaujolais is a French wine made with 100% Gamay Noir. Gamay is a light wine with light tannin's and a fresh fruity palate giving flavours of cherry and strawberry. Beaujolais Nouveau is made for immediate consumption, only fermented for a few weeks after harvest then quickly released. Almost 50% of the harvest will get released this way giving the winery a nice quick source of income.
Beaujolais Nouveau, is fermented using carbonic maceration. The grapes are not crushed but rather left in their bunches. The tanks are filled with carbon dioxide, and since there is no oxygen the grapes are forced to convert the glucose into alcohol. The grapes will then burst, causing the juice to separate from their skins and yeast will finish the fermentation. There will be vintage variations year to year and these can be a good indicator of the quality of the harvest.
Carbonic maceration will make fresh wines with light tannin, a soft mouth feel, and lots of fruit like cherry, banana, grape, and bubblegum. Beaujolais Nouveau will not get better with age and are sometimes served slightly chilled. These can be a great wine to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner or Sunday brunch. So every third Thursday of November go seek out a Beaujolais Nouveau and pretend you're a wine geek for a day. Enjoy a cheap light wine, but don't wait too long because they will probably be gone within a couple of weeks.
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