Beaujolais nouveau: tips for wine-drinking

The third Thursday in November is traditionally when the world celebrates the unveiling of Beaujolais nouveau, France’s most popular type of vin du premier (wine aged less than a year). Originally, it was the celebration of the end of the harvest in the region of Beaujolais. Today, it’s an excuse to have a party and wine debate at midnight—similar to the new release of a Harry Potter movie, but with alcohol.

Being in Paris, I’ve had my fair share of glasses, been to a few tastings, and learned a couple of things in the process. So I decided to pick up a bottle of Beaujolais nouveau 2009 and savor a glass or two in the name of research.

There are a couple of things that you want to figure out about the wine before you bring the glass to your lips. First, what kind of wine do you have? Each different grape has a different taste. And each vineyard’s wine is slightly distinct depending on the soil in which it was grown, the climate, and the aging process.

After choosing your wine and vintage (also known as the year), it’s time to get it to the correct temperature. A white or rosé should chill, but reds should be served at room temperature. Let it decant (also known as breathe) before being served. Take off the cork and leave it out for a while.

When your wine is the proper temperature and has had some time to breathe, pour yourself a small glass. Take a look at the color up against the light. Mine is a pinkish-purple. Not the darkest wine I’ve ever had, but not see-through either. The color comes from fermenting the wine with the grape skins. A red fermented without the skins becomes a rosé.

Swirl it around in the glass to give it air. As it settles, check the sides of the glass for viscosity. Does it leave thick “legs”? In French these are called “larmes,” or tears. Thicker wine means less water, which usually means an older vintage. The Beaujolais has more legs than I expected for something only six months old.

Next, “nose,” or smell, the wine. The nose is made up of the aroma (the type of grape smell) and the bouquet (anything else that you smell in it). Beaujolais is known for being very fruity. Nosing mine, the first thing that comes to mind is raspberry.

Older and more expensive wines tend to have much more complex bouquets. They move away from fruity smells to smells of grass, herbs, coffee, or chocolate. The last two usually come from being aged in oak barrels, making the wine “oakey.” There is no oak in my glass. Raspberries. Maybe some blackberries and blueberries. A little bit of peach.

Finally, it’s on to tasting the wine. Let the wine roll all over your tongue. Purse your lips like you were going to blow a kiss, then suck in instead. Along with being a fun dinner party trick, this process allows you to get the wine to interact with oxygen all over the different sections of your mouth. I get raspberry, but more of the peach.

Is your mouth puckering? If yes, the wine probably has a lot of tannins from the grape skins. I don’t have any puckering. Beaujolais is known for having very low tannins—unusual since tannins generally tend to mellow with age.

Finally, swallow the wine and get a sense of the finish. For me, the berries come back but don’t linger. Finer wines tend to have a longer finish, allowing you to savor the taste and discover more complexity. Cheap wines demand that you take another sip.

So go on. Practice makes perfect.

Shane Ferro is a Columbia College junior studying abroad at Reid Hall in Paris. La Vie Culturelle runs alternating Tuesdays.