Beaujolais Nouveau is something wine bores and buffs eagerly await every November. I am one of those. When in California (for 30 years) I stood at the wine racks in many a store on the third Thursday of the month, cash in hand, waiting for the delivery. Here in the rustic rurals of northern Ohio, I must wait a day or two extra before the truck arrives. Last year the Kroger only received six bottles. I bought them all because I was the only person waiting. Nobody here ever heard of it.

In more sophisticated regions of the Colonies, they really appreciate it!
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(From today's WASHINGTONIAN.COM)
Le Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrivé!
Celebrate this year's Beaujolais Nouveau harvest with a toast.

By Jesseka Kadylak Published Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The third Thursday of November marks the release of the 2008 Beaujolais Nouveau harvest—and French law says the bottle can’t be corked before then. The anticipation is killing us, so we’ve rounded up a few local spots that will toast the special occasion. Though some critics say the wine is immature, we say the annual release of a hand-harvested red wine is reason enough to celebrate.

Wednesday, November 19: BrighestYoungThings.com’s Beaujolais party
BrightestYoungThings.com will host the cheapest Beaujolais party in town. Guests should come dressed in ’60s-esque styles for the event, which features drink specials, French music, and of course, Beaujolais Nouveau at midnight. Space is limited, so you must RSVP at wine@brightestyoungthings.com. 9 PM; $10.

Wednesday, November 19: Beaujolais Nouveau toast
Reservations for Bistrot du Coin’s Beaujolais dinner are already full, but winos are invited to celebrate with a toast. The first bottle will be opened shortly after midnight, but the manager suggests arriving around 6 PM because the place fills up fast. 202 234 6969.

Thursday, November 20: Beaujolais Not-so-Nouveau
The International Club of DC and the French Wine Society are throwing a happy hour featuring appetizers and a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau (additional glasses will be available at a price per glass). Upgrade to the VIP tasting room to enjoy Crus such as Beaujolais, Beaujolais Village, Morgon, Chirouble, Saint Amour, Fleury, Regnie, Moulin-a-Vent, Julienas, Chenas, Brouilly, and Cotes de Brouilly. 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Happy-hour-only tickets are $17 for members and $19 for non-members; VIP tickets (which include happy hour) cost $53 for members and $59 for non-members.

Thursday, November 20 through Wednesday, November 26: Beaujolais Nouveau dinner menu
At Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda, executive chef Terry Lynch will create Beaujolais-inspired dishes to go with wine offerings. The menu will include oysters with a corn mignonette; cream-of-garlic soup with cabbage, flageolet beans, and ham hock; a roast-chicken sandwich with Camembert cheese, pears, and pineapple-sage aïoli; pan-seared arctic char with red potatoes, caramelized garlic, and Beaujolais-and-bacon sauce; and black-currant sorbet with red-wine syrup for dessert. Select Beaujolais Nouveau wines will be available for purchase. Call 301-654-1234 to make reservations.

Friday, November 21: Beaujolais Nouveau wine and cheese party
The Alliance Francaise de Washington invites you to listen to French accordion music while sipping the much-anticipated wine at the cultural center. Members $25, non-members $35; 6:30 to 9:30.

Friday, November 21: 2008 Beaujolais Nouveau
The French International Culinary Society and the French-American Chamber of Commerce will hold this year’s Beaujolais networking event at the Washington Club in Dupont. Chefs from L’Academie de Cuisine, Bistrot Lepic, Et Voila!, and more will prepare the meal while guests enjoy the 2008 wine harvest in addition to other wines and cocktails. Business attire is required for the occasion. 6 to 9; $70 for members, $80 for non-members.

Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22: High-end Beaujolais Nouveau
Since the exchange-rate of the Euro is so poor, getting the new wine is quite pricey, according to the manager at Central Michel Richard. This year he decided to offer an older Beaujolais Nouveau by the glass, and pair it with a complimentary glass of a different wine. All day; $10 per glass. 202-626-0015.

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(SACRAMENTO, CA)
Beaujolais nouveau is due

In accord with French tradition, the 2008 Beaujolais nouveau, the first wine of the recent European harvest, will be released Thursday.

And while some bottles no doubt will be opened here then, the official welcome of the wine by the Alliance Francaise de Sacramento won't be until Saturday.

"Being Saturday, more people will be available to celebrate it," says Lisa Dane of the two-day delay in the group's embrace of what customarily is a light, refreshing and easily quaffable red wine.

Dane, director of development for Alliance Française de Sacramento, a nonprofit to promote French language and culture, says the group's Saturday party will be 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Solomon Dubnick Gallery, 1050 20th St., Sacramento.

In addition to a glass of Beaujolais nouveau, attractions include appetizers, music by a roving accordionist and a silent benefit auction with such lots as one week in an 18th century townhouse in a walled medieval French village, a painting of a French landscape by Gregory Kondos and dinner with Bee sports columnist Ailene Voisin.

Tickets are $25 for members of the organization, $30 for nonmembers, $35 at the door. More information: www.afdesacramento.org or (916) 453-1723.

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(FROM THE DAILY DRINK... Digital City.com)

The next batch of Beaujolais Nouveau, a young wine which is sold the same year it is harvested, will be available to taste just after the stroke of Midnight this Thursday. Festivals throughout France, especially in the Beaujolais region, celebrate the release each year with tastings and ceremonies. Some run for days while others last only until the bottle is opened and finished.

A good time is had by all at these events but don't worry if you can't make it to France. Events are also held here in the states.
Several parties will be held in Pennsylvania starting November 20 and going on through the rest of the month. Three of these parties will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Sofitel in Philadelphia, the Harrisburg Hilton and at the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh.

The French-American Chambers of Commerce in several different cities, including Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles, among others, will all be holding their own events for the release.

To find events near you, check to see if a nearby city has a French-American Chamber of Commerce who may be hosting an event. If not, visit when.com to find events that may be going on near you. If you still find yourself out of luck, you might be able to get your hands on a bottle this Thursday. Head to the liquor store and keep your fingers crossed.

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The supermarket chain I shopped out in California chartered a Boeing 747 every year to fly a load of the wine from Lyon. It arrived at about the same time as the stuff was flowing in Paris and London. I always bought a mixed case of two or three bottlers.

If you don't know what Beaujolais Nouveau is: It is Beaujolais wine, a simple red from the Macon/Beaujolais area near the Burgundy, that is picked and carbonically macerated so that it can be bottle in weeks! It never touches wood or sees a barrel. The wine is excellent but should be consumed in short time, or it will go awful by February or March. It is released tomorrow, the 20th of November.

-(Jon)