"Beaujolais" (wine): category. "Beaujolais Nouveau" - a young French wine

In the winemaking regions of many countries, for example, in Transcarpathia, you can often see an inscription at the end of November inviting you to visit the cellar: "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!" Translated this way: "Beaujolais Nouveau arrived!"

It is clear that autumn is the beginning of a new year in the cycle of viticulture. But is every young drink that has not gone through a long fermentation has a basis and the right to be called "Beaujolais"?

Wine is a product not only and not so much a variety of vines and production technology. A huge role in the taste and aroma of the drink is played by the climatic conditions and soil composition of the region where the berries ripened. Therefore, it would be incorrect to talk about the "Magarach" grown in Massandra, or about the Georgian "Saperavi", that this wine is "Beaujolais Nouveau". So what kind of drink is this, the price for a bottle of which in Moscow is quite high? What do sommeliers say about him? You will learn about this from this article.

What is Beaujolais

In Burgundy - the famous wine-growing province of France - there is a district of Beaujolais. He is not the most successful in terms of growing vines. If we compare its climatic and soil characteristics with the Côte d'Or, where exquisite varieties of "Chardonnay" and "Pinot Gris" grow, one would say that it would be better for local farmers to grow apples.

In the Beaujolais region, only the unpretentious "hame" can be cultivated. But this sort of black grapes is very fruitful, and it ripens early. Berry picking is already in the end of August, while everywhere the time of wine "harvest" is October. But this is not the most important thing. A distinctive feature of the "hame" is that the wine from it can not be stored for long. A maximum of six months is the deadline for the bottle to be uncorked and drunk. If other drinks with age become only better, then for the wine "Beaujolais" the main enemy is time. Well, carpe diem, as the ancients used to say. We will catch the day and rejoice in what it brings to us.

A successful marketing move?

In many regions, and not only where the "Beaujolais" is produced, the holiday of young wine marks the beginning of a new agricultural cycle. What was the last year for the harvest? This will show the uncorked bottle of wine, which has not yet passed the full course of fermentation. And let the drink is dull, its aroma is inexpressive, and the taste is too brutal. Experts can already say what it will become when it "grows up." Such joyful tastings invariably pass where they grow vines - in Alsace, the Rhine lands, Italy, Moldova ... But only in the Beaujolais region, the festival of young wine means more than just taking a sample. If you do not sell the whole lot, you can just pour it out. That's what manufacturers are trying to create a hype around their product. And they succeed. Because "hame" from all varieties gives the most not bad young wine.

Characteristic of the variety

As already mentioned, these vines are unpretentious and early give an abundant harvest. But the grade "gamet" was able to divide people into two camps. "A cheeky and bright wine with a spark!" - they say about "Beaujolais" alone. "Squeaky compote!" - Others make their verdict.

As early as the sixteenth century, the rulers of the duchy of Burgundy ordered the eradication of the "hame" on their lands. But since the vines of this variety rescued the winemakers in the bad years, the subjects were not in a hurry to carry out the order of their sovereign. But the troubadour of the thirteenth century, Jean Bodel of Arras, so spoke about "Beaujolais": "The wine jumps like a squirrel over the palate. It sparkles, plays and sings. Get him in the hollow of the tongue, and you will feel how the wine penetrates into your very heart. " Note that the troubadour (by all appearances, not a fool to drink) does not glorify the aroma of Beaujolais, its delicate taste and so on. He simply praises his action on the body. In the "hame" are almost absent tart tannins, which are in fine wines. There is enough sourness in it to make the sommelier wrinkle his nose contemptuously. Its smell is uniquely fruity. But it still brings a holiday to the soul.

How flaws turn into virtues

If a Frenchwoman can make a hat out of nothing, then her countrymen-winemakers went even further: they turned the minus into a plus. The fact that the wine from the "hame" can not be stored for long, made him a welcome guest on the French tables at the end of November. Everyone is rushing to try the young wine "Beaujolais Nouveau". Manufacturers skillfully used the general excitement and tried as early as possible to uncork the barrels and pour the drink on bottles for sale. I had to intervene with the French government. First, an edict was published, according to which "Beaujolais" could go on sale only after November 15. And in 1985 another date was legislatively established: the third Thursday of the last month of autumn. Thus, the young wine "Beaujolais" in 2014 appeared on the shelves only from the twentieth of November.

There is another requirement for this alcoholic beverage: the final fermentation six weeks after the harvest. The consignment is necessary until March next year.

As celebrated the feast of wine "Beaujolais"

The French are waiting for the third Thursday of November, like New Year's children or lovers Valentine's Day. Exactly at midnight in the capital of the region - the town of Beaujout - in the main square uncorked in the light of torches the first barrel. Everyone screams: "Le Beaujolais est arrivé!". The fun begins. Connoisseurs of Beaujolais take a sample from a new crop, while the rest of the public simply celebrates. After all, nothing so raises the mood as "daring, bright, unpredictable wine" (as it is described by the French themselves), and even drunk among the red autumn vines, accompanied by a crispy baguette and Burgundy cheeses.

You can not stay aside and foreign guests who, once you taste this light drink, will always remember it with nostalgia. Soon young wine "Beaujolais" began to be honored in Australia, then in Japan and Thailand. In the States, it gained popularity in 2000, when an English-language motto was invented for the holiday: "It's Beaujolais Nouveau Time!" ("It's time" Beaujolais Nouveau! ").

Manufacturing technology

Another reason why the wine "Beaujolais" is not honored by the sommelier is a way of producing it. While the noble drinks undergo a long process of natural maceration (that is, insisting on the pulp), the "hame" does otherwise. Grapes are simply poured into small (up to 60 hectoliters) closed vats. They run carbon dioxide, which simply explodes the skin of berries. Carbon maceration - the reception dishonest in terms of winemakers. That the minimum amount of tannins, which is in the "hame", gets a completely different structure. It's like running carbon dioxide in a bottle of ordinary wine and giving it away for champagne. So with the "Beaujolais": the wine thanks to this "explosion" highlights the juice under the weight of its own bunches only five to six days. After that, the pulp is pressed and removed, and the wort is sent to the fermentation, which lasts only a month.

Characteristics of the wine "Beaujolais"

The drink has a sharp brutal taste with a distinct sour. The smell of wine is slightly fruity. The connoisseurs see in his fragrance the notes of black currant, raspberry and cherry. The color of wine with a light shine. It should not be too saturated.

Tasters unanimously say about the deceptive ease of "Beaujolais": the wine hits the head no worse than a cognac of ten years old. Considering the fact that on holiday it is drunk with meters, this is a serious strain on the liver. How are the liters converted to the extent of length? Very simply: a special meter tray is filled with bottles Pot Lyonnais, Pot de ville or small at 46 cl.

To drink or not to drink - that is the question

If you are not a snob and love a young fervor, then this wine is just made for you. It is bright, with a characteristic taste that can not be confused with anything else. Perhaps it is not quite suitable for a dinner party. But in the company with friends (especially if half of them are young and pretty girls who do not like vodka), "Beaujolais" will be just right. Another thing is that the manufacturer must be named. Annually in Burgundy from "hame" is made about fifty million liters of Beaujolais. More than half are immediately exported outside France. To recoup the expensive flight of goods to Russia, distributors purchase the cheapest brands. But it's not so simple with "gamete". In the time of fermentation, the bill goes literally for hours. If earlier to stop the process, the drink will turn out to be slightly colored, less expressive, and if to hesitate - dull, musty. Therefore, to buy wine "Beaujolais Nouveau" follows the proven producers. The most famous are Yvon Metras, Jean-Paul Thevenet, Albert Bichot, Georges Duboeuf and Louis Jadot.

How to drink and what to serve

The taste of the young Beaujolais is best revealed at temperatures up to thirteen degrees Celsius. As accompaniment is obligatory cut into large pieces of French baguette. If you decide to limit yourself to cold snacks, serve Beaujolais with meat cuts, cheeses (cabrio, sechon, camembert, saint-marcelen). Young wine is not suitable for hot dishes of beef, veal and poultry. But fat pork and sour "Beaujolais" - an ideal tandem. Again, as the French winemakers say, what a year, such is wine. Therefore, "Beaujolais" is called unpredictable. "Gamay" is very dependent on weather conditions. This variety always brings a rich harvest, but the drink can be too sweet or watery. The hot past summer made the young wine "Beaujolais" in 2014 softer, without shocking acid. It carries with it the signature aroma of garden berries. Some tasters saw in the bouquet of the current "Beaujolais" notes of a ripe banana.