Every year on the third Thursday of November, Beaujolais Nouveau is released and immediately flown to shops and restaurants around the world. Made from Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais region of France, the wine is meant to drink while it’s still young.
According to Serious Eats, most Beaujolais Nouveau is mass-produced, using lower-grade grapes from the region. It tends to be bright and fruit-forward, a “simple, chuggable wine for celebrating the harvest.” Its more serious cousin, Cru Beaujolais, is made in a cluster of 10 villages in the northern part of the region, with premium grapes and more sophisticated winemaking methods.
Because of its immediacy, many restaurants wrap events around the release, so people can experience the wine in the way it’s intended. Three Sacramento-area places are featuring Beaujolais Nouveau this month.
The Sacramento branch of Chaine des Rotisseurs, the self-proclaimed oldest and largest food and wine society in the world, is hosting a Beaujolais Nouveau dinner at Brasserie du Monde at 1201 K St. on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m.
Chef-owner Aziz Bellarbi Salah is still finalizing this year’s menu, but guests can expect six or seven courses paired with Beaujolais wines.
“We do a little reception, and what I try to do is pretty classic French, kind of early 70s, you know, Alice Waters, Jeremiah Tower, Kermit Lynch kind of stuff,” he said.
Last year’s event included housemade charcuterie, a Lyonnaise salad, Hokkaido scallops with cauliflower puree, roasted quail with fried sweetbreads and seared hanger steak. Each course will be paired with a different Beaujolais.
“We kind of do like a little jaunt around the villages. I know there’ll be a Fleurie. I know that there’ll either be a Lafarge or a Chiroubles. I try to end the reds with Moulin-a-Vent. I like to have a Brouilly around midway. Each wine is going to be a really good indication of the vintage that I’m serving from one of the villages,” he said.
Tickets are available for $195 for Chaine members and $225 for non-members.
Southside Park’s Betty Bistro & Wine Bar at 1103 T St. is hosting a wine party for Beaujolais Nouveau on Nov. 19, with seatings at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. For $65, guests will get a guided tasting of two Beaujolais Nouveau and Cru Beaujolais wines, plus a BBQ plate of chicken, vegetables, cornbread and pickles. Vegetarian options are available.
Bottles of new Beaujolais Nouveau wine on sale at an alcohol boutique in Paris, France, Nov. 17, 2022. The Beaujolais Nouveau, a well-known French wine, is released yearly on the third Thursday in November.
Open since March 25, New West Wine Bar & Bottle Shop in the Holbrooke Hotel at 126 Mill St. in Grass Valley will also be hosting an event on Sunday, Nov. 22 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The bottle shop will be serving three Beaujolais wines from Bay Area distributor Kermit Lynch, including Domaine de la Cadette. New West wine club members get in for $15, and non-members for $20.
Along with the wines, guests will be serenaded by local musicians Duo Chapeaux, who play eclectic, internationally inspired music on accordion, guitar and banjo.
If you want to throw your own Beaujolais Nouveau party, Corti Brothers wine and spirits steward Anthony Baker confirmed they will be stocking two, Maison Georges Duboeuf and Domaine Dupeuble. For a local alternative, he also stocks Tehama County winery New Clairvaux Vineyard’s Nouveau Tempranillo, which has similar bright, fruity notes. Corti Brothers also stocks several Cru Beaujolais wines.
Dining and Cooking