Les Beaujolais Nouveaux and the taste of bananas!

The third Thursday of November is a much-awaited and high-profile event in France, the release of the first Beaujolais wines. Probably now more a marketing strategy than an  actual event, it splits the wine lovers of the country into them that won’t and them that do  taste these fresh young wines. We were invited into our French neighbour’s for a tasting – couple of bottles polished off with two saved for when he comes to dinner on Sunday.

David is a mine of information when it comes to wine (and most things) and says that it is actually the Japanese who are first to taste these light red wines.

This site  http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=11552 confirms this  “The third Thursday in November traditionally marks the official debut of the new season’s Beaujolais around the world, and the Japanese are first to get a taste of the light red wine because of the time zone. A spokesman for importer Suntory says Japan will import about 7.2 million bottles of the wine this year. The record for Japan was 12.5 million bottles sold in 2004. “ – not that I ever doubted him!

The first bottle we tried (second from right) had, I'm not lying, the taste of bananas - something that David had asked me of some Bordeaux wines he has shared with us. I was sure then that this was a ' trap' and when he agreed with me re the Beaujolais I still wasn't sure!

We now have our own version 'Touraine primeur' of early wines - these have had a mixed reception -article here on  Novelle Republique.