Beaujolais Neuv'owww'

If you are talking to anyone from Lyon this weekend, be gentle and speak softly, as the Lyonnais are showing their annual ability to never let bad wine get between them and a good party.
Yes, Le Nouveau est arrivé.

It is said that Lyon has 3 rivers - the Saône, the Rhône and the Beaujolais, and celebrations are being held all weekend.
Officially it was released just after midnight yesterday, though it was available from the shops on Wednesday. When I asked about this I was told that you're not supposed to open it till after midnight. Hmmmm.
I have to admit it is a great piece of marketing, everyone knows about the Nouveau, and there are special menus, degustations, even chocolates.  It is exported around the world, Japan imports large quantities and in the US it is drunk with many a Thanksgiving meal, there are cross Channel races and even a marathon around 11 of the Beaujolais villages but the undeniable fact remains that it is a bad wine.

So last night I was given a teeny, tiny glass to taste. I was happy to stop after one sip but Guillaume made me drink it all and because of that, I have an amazing hangover today. (Which, indecently, has nothing to do with the vodkas, mojitos and shooters I consumed till the wee small hours of the mornings.)

Lyon was a party town last weekend. Although, Lyon rarely needs an excuse to party it was time to say hello to the Beaujolais Nouveau. On the third Thursday of November the wineries in the Beaujolais district are allowed to sell the first of that seasons wine. I remember as a child back in the late 80's news stories on the BBC about races to get the first of the Beaujolais over to Britain. These memories are also bringing nightmarish flashbacks of permed hair, large spectacles and yuppies...

Rumours had been circulating through the week saying due to the weather over the summer, this years wine was better than last years. This wasn't going to be a hard achievement as last years really was undrinkable. In fact Paddy's had found it had over ordered last year and still had 5 of the 6 bottles they had brought remaining after the weekend. They then used these up in the Vin Chaud, which still didn't hide how rough the wine was.

So on Thursday I trotted down the hill, slid onto a bar stool, asked if I could try a sample of the Beaujolais, was given a small glass, took a sip and promptly ordered a vodka.
However the Lyonnais are not going to let the small matter of bad wine get between them and a party. There was a brass band doing the rounds in Vieux Lyon, every bar seemed to be offering snacks and nibbles, every restaurant worth its salt had a 'Degustation' menu, specially crafted to accompany the wine and the streets were busy. Up in the Beaujolais itself, the wineries are open for the whole weekend offering tastings. Special stalls open up in the street markets trying to sell unsuspecting passers by with not just bottles of the stuff but 3 litre boxes as well. I know people who fly in for the weekend as they know it will be a big party (though I never actually saw any of them drinking the wine!)

By Sunday the enthusiasm for the partying is beginning to wane and the wine on the shelves is still plentiful. Those who are here for the weekend start talking about what time their flights are leaving and things start to wind down.
However we will just have had time to recover from our hangovers, start to forget our good intentions of never drinking ever again, when it is time to begin to prepare for the next party - Fete de Lumieres. Then of course, after that it's Christmas, then New Year....