Beaujolais and Thanksgiving Turkey

With the third Thursday in November right around the corner, the wine world will soon turn its attention to the release of the 2011 vintage Beaujolais Nouveau. Over the following several months, millions of bottles will be consumed during the holidays, as the wine is meant to be drunk young and fresh. Although the release of Beaujolais Nouveau draws the most attention to the wines of that region, the wine accounts for only about one-third of the area’s production. In that spirit, we devote this week’s column to a broader look at Beaujolais.

Located in the southernmost part of Burgundy, the Beaujolais AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) extends north to south some 35 miles. Averaging about nine miles wide, the area is bordered on the east by the Saône river valley and the Monts de Beaujolais to the west. The climate here is continental, with hot, dry summers and cold winters, and the soil varies from decomposed granite in the north to sedimentary rock, clay and limestone in the south.

With the exception of small amounts of Chardonnay and Aligote plantings, the entire Beaujolais area is devoted to producing red wine made exclusively from Gamay grapes, which are typically low in tannin, thin skinned and very fruity. However, what gives the wines their real character is the exclusive use of a fermentation process known as Carbonic Maceration.

In this process, clusters of whole grapes are put into large fermentation tanks and sealed. The weight of the grapes on the top of the tank crushes the bottom one-third of the grapes, and fermentation begins. As the grapes ferment, carbon dioxide is naturally released and begins to permeate the thin skins of the whole grapes on the top. The lack of oxygen allows the whole grapes to ferment inside their skins until they finally burst, releasing their juices in the process.

While this may sound complicated, the entire primary fermentation may take only three to four days. After the primary fermentation, the wine is usually rested for five to nine months before it is bottled and sold. The resulting wine is usually low in tannin, and very fruity, with typical flavors of black cherry, raspberry and hints of peaches, violets and slight pepper.

There are a total of 96 villages located within the Beaujolais AOC, and the wines are categorized in one of three ways. In ascending levels of quality they are:

• Beaujolais: The most basic quality, made from the less distinguished vineyards in the southern part of the region.

• Beaujolais-Villages: Better quality, the wines are made in one of 39 villages located in the hills of the middle part of the area.

• Beaujolais Cru: There are 10 villages that are allowed to produce cru wines, all of which are located in the steeper granite hills of the northern part of Beaujolais. The wines are denser and more structured, and are labeled with only the name of the village where they are made.

For this week’s tasting, we chose a basic Beaujolais from one of the best known importers, Kermit Lynch. Our tasting notes follow.

Kermit Lynch Beaujolais 2008

Appearance: a clear light ruby red

Aroma: fresh strawberry and ripe red raspberry with hints of pie spice

Flavors: strawberry and raspberry continue to the palate with a touch of mushrooms and earth tones

Finishing Notes: a clean, fresh finish that turns to a faint cherry pie flavor on the end

Food Pairing:

Beaujolais – pairs well with lighter poultry and meat dishes such as turkey, chicken, duck and pheasant, also works well with berry sauces and dressings as well as most salads

Perfect Pairing:

Beaujolais – We would suggest this particular wine with your traditional Thanksgiving day meal of roast turkey, cranberries, sweet potato mash and a nice spinach, apple and goat cheese salad.

WINE:30 is written by Karl Bradley and Jody Wuollett. Karl and Jody are both long time residents of Door County and are employed at the Mission Grille in Sister Bay. They have both been awarded the first level of certification from the Court of the Master Sommeliers.

Weekly Wine Trivia

One of the most famous Beaujolais Cru villages, Moulin-á-Vent is named for what famous landmark?

Email your answer to Karl & Jody at [email protected]. The first correct answer in their inbox will receive a complimentary bottle of wine from them. Cheers!

Last week’s trivia: What is the French synonym for the grape varietal known as Carménère?

Answer: Grande Vidure

Congratulations to our winner for last week’s wine trivia, and thanks for all the responses! Good luck this week.