by Administrator
13. November 2008 08:55
Every November, two things happen in the wine world that carry a significant amount of fanfaire. The first is the release of Beaujolais Nouveau (which is always on the third Thursday of the month). This light, fruity "drink now" red wine hails from the Burgundy region of france and is produced from the Gamay grape using a method known as "carbonic maceration". I'll save you the uber-geek explanation and just tell you that its a process of winemaking designed to produce young wines that are fruit forward, light on tannins and ready to drink at the time of release. The downside to this is of course that they do not last long on a shelf . . . but then again no wine lasts very long on mine. Beaujolais Nouveau was originally created to be served at the annual end of harvest festival in Burgundy, but has since grown into an international phenomenon, and is probably one of the most greatly anticipated wine release dates in the world.
The second major wine event of November, is of course the release of the annual Wine Spectator "Top 100" list. For those who are unaware, Wine Spectator's editors go back through all the wines they have reviewed over the past year and rank the 100 best, with one wine being awarded the coveted "Wine of the Year" title. I don't always agree with their rankings, but hey, that's wine! Thus far they have only told us what wines 1-10 are . . . and the winner of wine of the year is: Casa Lapostolle "Clos Apalta" 2005! Which is funny, as this wine was open at our Pink Ribbon tasting we held at the Montage last night! People probably didn't even realize they were drinking Wine Spectator's top pick of 2008! It's a gorgeous Carmenere based CHilean red that is always stellar. To be honest though, I actually like the 2004 a bit more, but that's just me. Or is it?
Cin Cin!
