Kulturkompasset | critics of culture events

BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU HAS ARRIVED


BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU HAS ARRIVED – once again.

By Henning Høholt, text and photos

The welcoming staff at Café Royal Opera, is ready to serve you the Beaujolais Nouveau. Photo: Henning Høholt

PARIS: The french restaurant business is having an extra celebration these days, as the New Beaujolais has arrived, and this is a  welcome possibility to have fun.  

We have visited one of the most popular and celebre café´s in the very centre of Paris: Café Royal Opera at the corner of the famouse Avenue de l´Opera and Rue des Pyramides, only two minutes from Louvre, where Louvre iss meeting the Tuilleries Garden, and where the Jean d´Arc statue is making the entrance from Louvre to Rue des Pyramides.

As this is one of the very centrale located Cafe´s in the very heart of Paris, two minutes also from Palais Royal and Comédie Francaise, it is a popular lunch, brunch, dinner place for all the neighboorhood and for plenty of tourists from all over the world, It even has meny´s printed in many international languages, inclusive Japanese, Russian, Spanish, English German, French  aso,  and many of the staff speaks these language. The meny is outstanding the portions generouse and of high quality, the staff first class. Really a home in the center of Paris. And still at a normal Paris price level.

Café Royal Opera, at the corner of Avenue de l´Opera and Rue des Pyramides. Metro Pyramides. Phot: Henning Høholt

Beaujolais Nouveau (info from http://www.beaujolaisnouveautime.com/)

Beaujolais Nouveau makes the perfect tipple to be consumed during the festive season. Its the perfect wine to be consumed by all. This years Beaujolais wine is one of the best yet! Don’t miss out on drinking the best Beaujolais nouveau in years. If your buying the wine for this years christmas parties, you can’t go wrong with this years excellent batch of Beaujolais
.

Select from these bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau which were exclusively selected for you. These wines are the best quality of this years Beaujolais Nouveau wines.

Beaujolais Nouveau. Photo: Henning Høholt

It’s Beaujolais Nouveau Time
Beaujolais Nouveau is an easy to drink fruity red wine which has a purple-pink colour which should be enjoyed as early as possible while it is still fruity and fresh. Every year in beginning of November at one minute past midnight there is a race to be the first to serve and consume the new batch of Beaujolais. Join the race to own the best Beaujolais Nouveau.

The years ‘new’ Beaujolais wines are raced from the towns and villages of the Beaujolais region in France towards Paris. The tradition in Paris is for banners reading Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!are hung. The traditionalal banners proclaiming the good news is one of the most frivolous customs withinh the wine world.

Satisfied guest with the Beaujolais Nouveau served by Adrian. Photo: Stephanie

When Beaujolais Nouveau Time is over, over 66 million bottles of wine, will have been distributed and most probably drunk around the world
. Part if the fun of drinking Beaujolais Nouveau is knowing that around the world the same race to consume the years new Beaujolais is taking place. Customers worldwide eagerly await the first bottles as an indicator of the quality of the harvest and Beaujolais wines to be released the coming year and thus “Beaujolais Nouveau Day” is heavily marketed as the race to sell the first bottles of the years Beaujolais.

This young red wine bottled just 6-8 weeks after the grapes are hand-picked is an incredibly popular wine (especially in America) because Beaujolais Nouveau is very similar to white wine meaning that the wine can be gluged as opposed to being sipped like red wine during the festive period following its release on the November 3rd.

Café Royal Opera, Paris. Photo: Henning Høholt

Apart From Tradition What Makes Beaujolais Nouveau So Exciting?

    • Its production: During production the grapes are pressed after only three days of fermentation meaning that there is an absence of phenolic compounds, such as the tannins, normally found in red wines. This produces a fruity wine which is easy to drink. This fruity wine is produced using the process of carbonic maceration, otherwise known as whole berry fermentation. Whole berry fermentation preserves the fresh, fruity quality of the wine. This process does not extract bitter tannins from the grape skins, resulting in a wine that contains only a small amount of tannin and the fruity flavours such as fig, pear drop and banana can dominate the wine. The resulting wine is very close to white wine.
    • The serving temperature: As the wine tastes better when served cool it is a wine which is best gulped, which suits the festive period.
    • Suitable for everyone: Beaujolais Nouveau is extremely similar to white wine. This wine is suited to those wishing to glug wine obver the festive period, its ideal for those wishing to make the transistion between white and red wine and is aggreable with non drinkers.

Editor’s Note: New Ways To Enjoy Wine In 2012

Like many of you, we’re always looking for new ways (or should that be excuses) to enjoy a glass of Beaujolais wine. Last week I happened to run into Des Walker in a UK wine bar, no doubt drinking some of the proceeds from his recent appearance in the Paddy Power free bet TV ads. Anyway, Des mentioned that he has taken to enjoying a glass of red in his hot tub just before going to bed. I’m not sure if anyone else is doing this, or if there are any applicable health benefits, however it does seem like a new way to enjoy a drop, so I might give it a try myself
. And yes, I need a hot tub first!

Secondly, I’d just like to draw your attention towards the other Beaujolais wines that we feature here on the site
. Although Nouveau is often the most popular and best known variety, lately I’ve developed a taste for Moulin a Vent which goes really well with steak or lamb dishes
. If you can’t wait until the next batch of nouveau is released, then why not give it a try in the meantime?

The staff is waiting to serve the Beaujolais Nouveau at Cafeé Royal Opera, Paris. Photo: Henning Høholt

 

Café Royal Opera, 19 Avenue de l´Opera, 75001 Paris. Tel: 0142697270. M: 7 + 14 – Pyramides.

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