By Lori Perkins
I love Beaujolais Nouveau, the new (meaning 2021) French red wine that is held back by French law until the third Thursday of November when they allow us plebs outside France to sample it. Last year’s was great, and was one of the high points of my pandemic existence, but this year, thanks to triple booster shots, I am hosting a small Beaujolais Nouveau dinner party – something to indeed be thankful for.
In the past few years, the new wine has sold out in my New York City neighborhood by Christmas, so this year I called the local liquor store and reserved a number of bottles (there is some concern that the supply chain disruption could slow delivery to US stores down a bit but let’s hope not, although there is also the threat that the price may go up as a result). After I taste it (to be sure it’s as good as I hope it will be), I give them out as Thanksgiving sand Christmas presents
This year, Beaujolais festivals have returned throughout the world. The biggest one is in France, on Wednesday night, where hundreds of wine lovers eagerly await the festival celebrated in the sleepy village of Beaujeu, some 50 kilometers north of Lyon.
The new wine festival in Swansea in Wales has returned after a two-year delay and there’s even celebrations in Japan.