“This is the best party of the year at this bar” these words were uttered to me by a very drunk French patron of Le Barricou (1 Boulevard Du Temple, Paris) at 11pm on November 20th the release of the 2014 Beaujolais Nouveau. Walking down the streets of Paris you see many bistros with the poster announcing the release of Nouveau. By 11pm I knew that one sleepless day was worth the flight to help celebrate these wines.
Meanwhile, back in Canada, our release includes 9 wines. One Canadian, Six French, and Two Italian wines. For the past three years I have gone to the LCBO and try to decide which in the release are the best. But let’s face it … when it comes to Nouveau, these wines are all on a pretty even playing field. We aren’t talking about fine wines when it comes to Nouveau. One thing I learned at le Barricou is that these wines are not meant to be savoured; they are meant to be gulped, shotgunned, and swigged as quickly as possible, as these wines are deteriorating as we speak.
I also had the pleasure of bringing the Canadian Nouveau offerings to Paris (only one is available in the LCBO, but the other two are available at the wineries). The wines were Gamay Nouveau from Domaine Darius in Prince Edward County, The Fool Gamay Nouveau from Reif Estates in Niagara and The Hanging Man Kerner Nouveau also from Reif. We opened these a little after I was told about the importance of the yearly celebration at le Barricou. I was invited to open them from on top of the bar. I was then spanked with a wooden paddle, slipped and stepped into a sink full of water; this shows you the direction the evening went. Everyone was curious what the Canadians had poured. I could offer up some detailed tasting notes, but alas, there are none. The Canadian wines were quickly gulped, shotgunned, and swigged just like their French counterparts.
The main thing I learned about Nouveau in Paris is that we are doing it wrong in Canada with the release of these wines being heralded by the LCBO. In Paris it’s a restaurant event; every bistro for the time I spent in Paris we were offered a glass of Nouveau with our meal. I still plan on throwing a fantastic Nouveau party at my house when I get home like I do every year, but I think it’s time to branch out and go bigger … any restaurant want to host a Nouveau party next year?
