It's Beaujolais Nouveau Time!

"Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé !" This is a phrase you're likely to hear every year on the third Thursday in November, at 12:01 a.m. local time around the globe, as the newest vintage of wine from France's Beaujolais region is released to the public.  This wine, fermented for just a few weeks, is known as Beaujolais Nouveau.  It is a red wine made from Gamay grapes that are grown and harvested by hand in the Beaujolais province, at the southern tip of Burgundy.
 
Though perhaps not as complex as red wines from this region that are aged for one or more years, Beaujolais Nouveau is a bright, fruity, and very drinkable wine. It is recommended to be served slightly chilled, and is intended for immediate consumption. It is not a variety to stock away in the wine cellar, as it does not improve with age.

Beaujolais Nouveau is produced using carbonic maceration.  This whole-grape anaerobic fermentation process brings out fruit flavors, without imparting bitter tannins from the grape skins.   Whole bunches of grapes, stems and all, are placed in huge vats, along with some yeast. The vats are sealed and carbon dioxide is introduced.  The weight of the grapes themselves crushes those at the bottom of the vat, which begin to ferment.  More carbon dioxide is released by the fermenting fruit, and in this environment, starved of oxygen (the 'anaerobic' part), fermentation begins even in the uncrushed grapes.  Eventually the fermentation process causes the whole grapes to burst, releasing their juice.  In a short six to eight weeks, the wine is ready to be bottled, shipped, and consumed.

Considered by some wine connoisseurs to be too simple, many find the simplicity and freshness of this wine to be its greatest charm.  And, a plus for those minding their budget, Beaujolais Nouveau is very affordable.

In the US, with Thanksgiving falling just a week after 'Beaujolais Nouveau Day,' it's the perfect opportunity to stock up on a few bottles to enjoy with friends and family over the holiday weekend.  Outside the US, well, you really don’t need a special occasion to enjoy this wonderfully refreshing, young wine.

Visit BoutiqueHotelBarges.com for information on cruising in the Burgundy region.





Each year, on the third weekend of November, Beaune plays host to the world's most famous charity wine auction. Professionals, connoisseurs and wine lovers come together for two days of festivities, the epitome of pure Burgundy tradition.

The auction takes place in L'Hôtel-Dieu, an extraordinary collection of 15th century hospital buildings. Since 1471, vast tracts of land have been donated and bequeathed to the Hospices de Beaune and its vineyards extend throughout the côtes de Nuits and the côtes de Beaune. Since 1859, the Hospices' prestigious vintages have been sold by candlelight on the third Sunday of November. For several centuries now, the entire proceeds of this exceptional charity auction have been dedicated to the charitable and religious works of the old hospices as well as new civil and secular hospital institutions.

Below are scenes from the 2015 Gala Dinner held at L'Hôtel-Dieu compliments of Rory and Caroline Macrae (pictured on right), owners of Barge Après Tout, who attended this fabulous event.

Understanding Terroir

Contributed by Dawn Shepherd from Boutique Hotel Barges' US Office 

Terroir is a French word which translates literally as 'soil', but the meaning of this word encompasses much more. To wine lovers and vintners, terroir expresses the combination of environmental elements, including soil type, weather, topography, and nearby crops or native plants, that impact the overall character of wine made from grapes grown in a particular area.

Terroir is at the base of the French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system, the strict set of rules governing how French wines can be labeled. Unlike American wine labels that generally feature the variety of grape a wine is made from, French wines are primarily labeled based on the region where the wine was produced.

Although I knew the definition of terroir as it applies to wine, I first truly understood it after spending a few weeks in the Languedoc aboard the beautiful barge Tango. It was grape harvesting time in September, with warm sunny days and refreshingly cool nights. We cruised along the Canal du Midi, past vineyards and olive groves, and fields where sunflowers had grown. It was a very pleasant and memorable experience. About 6 months after returning to the U.S., I opened a bottle of wine that I had brought back with me. It was from the domaine of Marie-Claude and Jean-Louis Poudou in Minervois, Chateau Tour Boisée. One sip and I was instantly transported back to Southwestern France. It is hard to describe the magic created by the blend of aroma and taste, but the wine held the very essence of the Languedoc - its terroir.

The concept of terroir applies to other crops, particularly tea, coffee and cacao, and increasing the term is being used as it relates to the production of artisan cheese.

When applied to cooking, the term cuisine de terroir means 'regional cooking.' It implies that the chef is using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, prepared using traditional methods and recipes unique to the region. This is the true cooking of the French people, that you can find, not only in the local bistro, but also being served at home for Sunday dinner.  It is France's 'soul food.'

Experience terroir for yourself aboard one of the wonderful barges at BoutiqueHotelBarges.com.

Recipes from "A Week on the Water": Mustard and White Wine Onion Soup

Founder of Boutique Hotel Barges and "A Week on the Water" author, Hazel Young, is a graduate of the French National Cooking School in Beaune. She has run numerous cooking seminars and culinary cruises aboard her former barge Fandango, and planned the boutique barge's extraordinary menus for over two decades.

Dijon mustard originated in 1856, when Jean Naigeon of Dijon substituted verjuice, (the acidic juice of under-ripe grapes) for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe.  Although still produced in France, French Dijon mustard is now made from seed and wine imported from North America.

Mustard and White Wine Onion Soup

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon grape seed oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 potato chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of parsley
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 white of leek, sliced and washed
• 4 oz slice of smoked bacon
• 300 ml (2 cups) white wine
• 800 ml (41/2 cups) water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon grainy mustard
• 1 tablespoon Dijon smooth mustard
• 1 teaspoon vegetable stock paste
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup liquid cream
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Heat oil and butter in saucepan.

Add onion and leek, and gently fry until translucent.

Add other vegetables, cook for three minutes stirring occasionally then add water and white wine, mustards, stock paste. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and parsley sprig, blend and adjust seasoning.

Stir in cream and pour into individual bowls, decorate with chopped parsley.

Do You Speak French Wine?

You'll want to brush up on your French wine label reading skills before your barge cruise.  Here are some key terms.

• Appellation contrôlée - Designated growing area
• Appellation d'Origine Protegée - AOP, highest grade of French wine
• Blanc - white
• Château or Domaine - wine estate
• Clos - "an enclosure," usually an enclosed vineyard
• Crémant - sparkling wine produced outside the Champagne region
• Cru - a vineyard or group of vineyards, of recognized quality
• Cuvée - usually denotes a special blend or selected vats of higher quality, but an unregulated term
• Grand cru - Regionally graded wine, not technically a classification of wine quality, it indicates the potential of the vineyard or terroir
• Indication Géographique Protégée - IGP, Regional French wines, middle-grade French wines
• Millésime or Récolte - vintage or harvest date
• Mis en bouteille au domaine - bottled at the estate
• Réserve - implies a higher quality, but an unregulated term
• Rouge - red
• Vielles Vignes - old vines
• Vin de France - French table wines, lower grade of French wine

Resources:

Visit Rocket Languages for a list of French words about wine with audio, so you can hear the correct French pronunciation for each.

An incredible listing with ratings for wines of Burgundy and Languedoc Roussillon is available on winemag.com

Learn more about French barge cruises that feature visits to vineyards, winetasting, and special wine-harvest cruises at Boutique Hotel Barges.