I still get excited about the third Thursday in November. Even after getting deeper and deeper into more “serious” wines there is something about Nouveau that I find exciting. If you’re not familiar with the first wines of the harvest I won’t mince words, Nouveau is basically the Coca-Cola of the wine world… I don’t mean that it’s sweet, but it’s not by any definition of the word classy. It’s made quickly and doesn’t age. These wines were grapes but a few weeks ago. Traditionally the Nouveau wines were made to repay vineyard workers for their work during the harvest.
Class·y – adjective, class·i·er, class·i·est. Informal .
of high class, rank, or grade; stylish; admirably smart; elegant.
The reason I love Nouveau is that it is accessible, fun, easy to drink, and an event. But mostly, I love it because I’m impatient! Nouveau is ephemeral and it will never be as good as the day you open it. Unlike Red wines that benefit from additional time aging in the bottle, these wines actually degrade. So if you were looking for an excuse to get together with some friends to drink some wine this weekend this is it! For those of you who are still worried about classy wines even YOU may be surprised this year. Without further ado here is what is available from the LCBO this year.
Jeanjean Syrah Primeur – $11.95 – 899948 – You can’t compare this to regular Syrah if that’s your preferred grape variety. Lots of cherry with candied cherry on the finish.
Catalans Primeur Syrah – $9.95 – 220533 – The softer of the two Syrah’s but consistent in flavour with candied cherry.
Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau – $13.95 – 897934 – Candied cherry but almost a bit of spice on the finish.
**Duboeuf Gamay Nouveau – $8.95 – 891846 – There is a subtle earthiness in this one and a certain freshness to the nose that stands out over all the other Nouveau’s. This is easily the best value for 2012
Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages Nouveau – $14.95 – 932780 – Buried under the cherry flavours were subtle hints of evergreen.
**Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais Villages Nouveau – $14.95 – 113266 – The nose on this one will hit you with a lot of power. If the other Nouveau’s are more feminine this one is definitely masculine. However this is very smooth on the finish. This was my favourite of all the wines tasted this year.
Tollo Novello Rosso Terre Di Chieti – $8.95 – 271759 – Much juicier on the nose than the French wines. You will find flavours of blueberry, plum, ripe strawberry. This drinks almost like Rosé
Negrar Novello Del Veneto – $9.95 – 899955 – Very berry flavours mixed in with Cherry. Lots of Blueberry, Strawberry and Raspberry with Cherry.
Chateau des Charmes Generation Seven Nouveau (Gamay) – $11.95 – 318600 – Compared to the French Gamay Nouveau lots of dark cherry. This is also interesting as it is the first Gamay Nouveau from Chateau des Charmes in 10 years!
**Reif The Fool Gamay Nouveau – $10.95 – 220483 – This is loaded with Dark Cherry and even more refined than last year… but still not classy. This is my favourite of the two from Ontario.
Reif the Hanging Man Kerner Nouveau – $10.95 – Lots of Citrus and Apple in this one, but very light . Easy drinking and a little sweet with nice balanced acidity. Available online at www.reifwinery.com
