Beaujolais Nouveau – C’est Arrivé!
By French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is to be released no earlier than the third Thursday of November at midnight. The winemakers use a technique called carbonic maceration, in which whole grape clusters are thrown into a tank. The tank is then sealed, trapping the carbon dioxide from the fermentation process inside. After three weeks in the tank, the free-run juice is collected, filtered and bottled. The resulting red wine is light-bodied, with fresh cherry and berry flavors and a distinctive banana aroma. Many people turn their noses up and say it’s the “cool aid” of wine and is an abomination!
It’s not meant to be good wine, it’s the fun of getting it every year. It actually pairs very nicely with Thanksgiving turkey. This wine is best drunk chilled. Thank Dad for the bottle we consumed last night!
Place pats of this seasoned butter on grilled steaks, salmon or asparagus just before serving. Run meats under the broiler until butter is just melted.
Beaujolais Butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups of Beaujolais, cru or nouveau
1/2 lb salted or unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
1/2 tsp fresh minced tarragon or parsley
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Combine the shallots, vinegar and Beaujolais in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer liquid until it is reduced by two-thirds (about 12 minutes). Remove from heat and cool completely. Combine the rest of the ingredients into the softened butter.
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