Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!

Every year, on the third Thursday of November, le Beaujolais Nouveau is released for sale in France.

Beaujolais wine is unique in that it is harvested, fermented, bottled and shipped within six weeks. Thus, the term “nouveau” is assigned to the wine. According to tradition, at one minute past midnight on the third Thursday of each year, Beaujolais wine is rushed from villages across France to Paris, where it is tasted, consumed and celebrated. From there, cases are shipped all over the world.

This fruity, light red wine is appreciated for the festivities surrounding its release more than the quality of its cru. In Chicago, four hundred guests celebrated at a party hosted by the French-American Chamber of Commerce at the Union League Club. Leading French chefs from Café des Architects, Restaurant 676 and Vanille offered a selection of delicious hors-d’oeuvres, while distributors provided the much lauded Beaujolais as well as Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Cognac.