Premature Fermentation?

(11/20/2005)

Strictly prohibited by law from being sold before the third Thursday of November, the 2005 vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau or Beaujolais Primeur, officially arrives in Bali on Friday, November 25, 2005 to be welcomed at a special reception in its honour at the Mercure Resort Sanur – Bali.

A Brief History of Beaujolais Nouveau

In the Middle Ages, many wines turned to vinegar before they could be drunk. As a result, waiters in local drinking dens in days of ole, when asked to recommend a good vintage no doubt suggested Tuesday or Wednesday. Ancient wine producers, wishing to avoid leaving a sour taste in their customers' mouths, discovered that the Gamay grape of the Beaujolais region was drinkable just weeks after harvest. On to a good thing, clever bistro owners just down the road in Lyon began shipping wagons-full of still-fermenting young Beaujolais for the enjoyment of their customers.

Beaujolais Nouveau is produced using a method of carbonic maceration in which entire bunches of grapes are thrown into fermentation tanks without first crushing the fruit – the means by which juice is extracted for most wines. The grapes at the bottom of the tanks are crushed by the weight of those on top. As a result, the grapes down below ferment in a normal fashion while the uncrushed fruits near the top ferment within their skins producing a wine that is less tannic and very fruity to the taste.

After the end of WWII, wine makers began to de-gass, filter and chemically stabilize Beaujolais Nouveau - permitting shipment in bottles without fear of explosion. The resulting extended shelf-life allowed the distribution of Beaujolais Nouveau to the far corners of the world where more and more people are enjoying the late-November novelty and unique character of drinking a wine from grapes that only one month before were still on the vine.

Beaujolais Nouveau in Bali

To welcome Beaujolais' Primeur Harvest of 2005 - a special French buffet will be held featuring cheese, delicatessen items and Beef Bourguignon starting at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 25, 2005 at the Mercure Resort Sanur - Bali.

The cost of the buffet, including two glasses of Beaujolais Nouveau, and music provided by Bali's Circle Band is only Rp. 200,000 per person (approximately US$19.80).

Purchase of a tickets in advance is required and can be done in Bali at Café Moka, Warung Gossip, the French School, Mercure Resort Sanur, or the Consular Agency of France.