Beaujolais Nouveau 2014 arrives in Cork for World Launch on 20th November!

Beaujolais Nouveau 2014 from PellerinSo the third Thursday of November is coming up (20th) and we all know what that means: Beaujolais Nouveau day, which for me pretty much marks the start of the festive season. At one minute past, from little villages and towns in Burgundy, over a million cases of Beaujolais Nouveau begin their journey through a sleeping France to Paris for immediate shipment to all parts of the world. "The New Beaujolais has arrived!" One of the most frivolous and animated rituals in the wine world has begun. Now for the science part: few other wines are produced, bottled, and released within a few weeks of the harvest. The simplest way to do this is to employ a method called carbonic maceration. This is when fermentation starts inside the skins. Traditionally, the winemaking process begins with the crushing of grapes; the juice of the grapes is pushed out of the skins and gradually ferments. With carbonic maceration, the grapes are not crushed. The grapes are piled on top of each other in a sealed container that is filled with carbon dioxide. More CO2 is produced by the grapes on the bottom of the container, as it is gently crushed by the weight of the top grapes. All this carbon dioxide causes fermentation to take place inside the grape skins creating a wine which is fresh, fruity, and very low in tannins – a great characteristic of the Gamay grape. Nouveau has very bright, fresh, red fruit flavours, such as cherry, strawberry, and raspberry, and will be delivered to your palate with a distinct zing. Because of the lack of tannins, it should be very soft in the mouth, and easy to drink. Beaujolais Nouveau is not a wine to sniff, swirl, and contemplate; it’s a wine to pour and party with. Beaujolais Nouveau pairs wonderfully with many foods, but none better than some Camembert and saucisson on a fresh baguette. Because of this we’re bringing you a wonderful offer over the weekend in conjunction with On the Pig’s Back, for €25 you can pick up a bottle of this year’s vintage from Bubble Brothers and from On the Pig’s Back a Camembert, the soft creamy French cheese made from cows milk; saucisson, a dry cured French sausage made from pork mixed with salt, sugar and a guarded spice mix (similar to salami) alongside a specially made Arbutus baguette all for €25. It doesn’t end there. We’ve also grabbed ourselves a pastry chef all the way from Burgundy (where Beaujolais Nouveau is from) John-Paul. JP will be working alongside ABC bread to produce the beautiful light cheesy choux pastry Gougère, these light bites work wonders with the light fruitiness of Beaujolais. So on Thursday the 20th and until Saturday the 22nd, pop in to the English Market and experience a little bit of France in Cork. Berets, baguettes, cheese and even some Edith Piaf singing in the background.