Despite some people might think, you can have red wine with our Thanksgiving bird. One to try this year is the Manoir du Carra, Juliénas 2007, a Cru Beaujolais wine. It was recommended to the DC Wine Shopping Examiner by Vanessa Moore, proprietor of Unwind wine shop in the Belleview shopping center in Alexandria. Ms. Moore also has another shop in the Bradley shopping Center on King Street in Alexandria (near Duke and Quaker Lane intersection). This is a lovely light wine, with soft berry flavors that will go wonderfully with cranberries in your dressing, turkey, pork, and other light meats. You can pick it up at either Unwind location for $20.
Often served at Thanksgiving because it pairs well, Beaujolais wines are made with Gamay grapes. Gamay is home to this southern region of Burgundy, while rest of Burgundy focuses on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Beaujolais wines are generally soft, fruity, and light. Every year on the third Thursday of the November–which is this week–the French release a recently harvested and lightest version: Beaujolais Nouveau. This wine has become a tradition for drinking on with the Thanksgiving meal, but may be best as an aperitif. The Nouveau version of Beaujolais is one of the very few wines meant to be drunk this young and it does not age well.
You can celebrate this occasion at one of several D.C. restaurants that are hosting special events. Check out this Washingtonian article, highlighting the many opportunities and deals that night and the following days.
However, not all Beaujolais is made in the Nouveau style. Beaujolais comes in several other quality levels, from the most simple wines with very short finishes to the richer, higher-end Beaujolais wines. The first and most affordable tier (some under $10 a bottle) the basic “Beaujolais,” which can be made with Gamay grapes sourced from any area of Beaujolais. The next step up is Beaujolais Village wines, a category that assures the grapes are sourced from certain villages that contain mid-quality growing sites.
The ten villages with the best grape-growing territory as designated by French law and tradition are granted Cru status. Beaujolais does have a “grand” or “premier” Cru designation. Cru is the highest designation. The good news is that you can get a nice Cru wine for $15-$20 or more. But you must know which villages have the Cru status. Listed below are the ten Cru villages, so look for those names on the label.
St.-Amour
Juliénas
Chénas
Moulin-à-Vent
Fleurie
Chiroubles
Morgan
Régnié
Brouilly
Côte de Brouilly
Cru Beaujolais wines are richer, spicier wines than others in the region, and they can age longer. They are still somewhat light to medium body wines compared to what many new world wine drinkers are accustomed—more akin to Pinot Noir than to Cabernet Sauvignon. They pair excellently with turkey, cranberry sauce, and the rest of your holiday meal.
This article was originally published on Examiner.com.
