Celebrate the Annual Beaujolais Nouveau in DC

Right on the heels of their annual Champagne Party, the French Embassy in Washington, DC celebrates Beaujolais Nouveau 2009. 

Made from handpicked Gamy Noir à Jus Blanc grapes (or simply Gamy), the classic French red Beaujolais Nouveau wine celebrates the end of the annual harvest. 

The wine is fermented for just a few weeks then officially released each year on the third Thursday of November (since 1985), to much fanfare, marketing hype and media coverage around France as wineries race to be the first to deliver their wines to Pairs.

Most Beaujolais Nouveau are fresh, fruity and simple, or to many wine drinkers, a bit immature in their complexities. Chilling them to about 55 degrees helps their drinkability. They are generally intended to be consumed immediately and not kept over 12 months.

Slate.com’s Mike Steinberger, who seems to be not a big fan of Beaujolais Nouveau wine, in his article Red Scare – Stay away from that Beaujolais Nouveau, sucker, stated:

Why it was decided to make the region’s humblest juice—a wine mainly borne of its worst vineyards, a wine barely removed from the fermentation vat, a wine that is nothing more than pleasantly tart barroom swill—its international standard bearer is a question that will undoubtedly puzzle marketing students for generations to come.

Yet love it or hate it, this style of Beaujolais owes its drinkability to the winemaking process called whole berry fermentation which does not add bitter tannins to the wine. 

Lovers of French wine food and culture will be coming together to celebrate the much hyped and free flowing Beaujolais Nouveau Celebration, along with a country buffet, delicious French pastries and live music at La Maison Française (French Embassy).

The party will also offer a raffle and silent auction of French art.

If you want to know about the festivals in France and a bit about how it evolved into the celebration it now is, check out the report from Kim who writes The PlanetEye Traveveler – Paris. 

There’s also a Beaujolais Nouveau event in Atlanta worth checking out.

Beaujolais Nouveau 2009
Embassy of France
4101 Reservoir Road, NW
Washington, DC  (map it)

Dates & Times – Thursday, November 19, 2009 – 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Tickets - $60.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Farragut West – Blue and Orange lines, and then a 10-minute cab ride.

Parking – Limited free first-come, first-serve parking is usually available in the Embassy’s underground parking garage.  Free street parking is also available within a short walk.

Images – Flickr – Beaujolais bottles, Paris picnic