Beaujolais Nouveau is the name given to Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages wines that are released almost immediately after the harvest. Perhaps the most famous expression of the Gamay Grape, these light, Fruity reds are usually the first of the year's harvest in France, and are released each year with great fanfare internationally. For centuries, simple wines made from freshly harvested grapes have quenched the thirst of Vineyard workers at the end of the harvest in Beaujolais, but traditionally they were only distributed locally. Interest in the style spread following the reform of appellation law at the end of the Second World War and by the 1960s the first Beaujolais wines were widely sold throughout France as soon as they were released, often with the announcement "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! Beaujolais producers saw the marketing opportunities in being the first wine of the harvest and a "race" to get the first bottle of wine to Paris was set up by some of the biggest names, promoting the Nouveau style and attracting international interest.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Beaujolais Nouveau became a worldwide phenomenon, with a particular following in the United States, Japan and Germany. By law, sales of this wine are limited until one minute after midnight on the third Thursday in November. Beaujolais Nouveau wines can be red or rosé (the term does not apply to white Beaujolais wines) and are mainly made from the Gamay grape. They are Bright purplish red in colour and have an Aroma often compared to candied cherries, red plums, bananas and even bubblegum.
Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.
red wines from the region of Beaujolais Nouveau go well with generally quite well with dishes of pasta, veal or pork such as recipes of maultaschen ( swabian ravioli ), veal tagine with carrots or sauté of pork with cider.
On the nose in the region of Beaujolais Nouveau often reveals types of flavors of red fruit, strawberries or banana and sometimes also flavors of microbio, black fruit or tropical fruit. In the mouth in the region of Beaujolais Nouveau is a with a nice freshness.
