Beaujolais Nouveau Day with The French Consulate Kolkata

Beaujolais Nouveau Day is marked in France on the *Third Thursday in November* and this year Mr. Damien Syed, Consul General of France in Kolkata planned to celebrate this very *French* spirited festival with lovers of wine Kolkata. I was invited for the celebration in the gardens of the majestic French Consulate, Kolkata on 24th November 2017. 

 About Beaujolais Nouveau

 Kicking off in the early evening the day before Beaujolais Nouveau, the 5-day festival features wine tasting, live music and dancing. During the afternoon on Beaujolais Nouveau Day, a heated tent offers wine and a range of local foods for visitors to sample. The Gamay grapes that go into Beaujolais Nouveau are handpicked in the Beaujolais province of France. The wine actually originated about a century ago as a cheerful drink produced by locals to celebrate the end of the harvest season. The traditional slogan used in ad campaigns and marketing material —  Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé (which translates to The new Beaujolais has arrived was changed in 2005 to It is Beaujolais Nouveau time.

​​Today, there are several dozen vintners making this popular red. The Beaujolais region is home to nearly 4,000 vineyards which produce twelve officially-designated types of Beaujolais known as AOCs. They include some of the finest and priciest grand crus (big vintage) wines around. The most common two are the Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages, the former of which account for half of the region’s annual output. In 2010, 35 million bottles of the wine were put on the market. Some 7.5 million were sold in French supermarkets and 15.5 million were exported mainly to Japan, Germany and the United States.

 Under French law, the wine is released at 12:01 a.m., just weeks after the wine’s grapes have been harvested. Parties are held throughout the country and further afield This much-ballyhooed cherry-red colored vintage that’s best served chilled — is not for wine snobs but Wine lovers. This fresh and fruity red is the result of a quick fermentation process that ends up with a tasty, clean wine that is enjoyed by palates the world over. 

Well, I won’t say, I am much of a wine connoisseur, but definitely the wine went really well with food. I forgot to mention, the food was served by the brilliant team of Novotel Kolkata with elan. 

You can check my other experience with Novotel Kolkata here

From the food, the cheese counter was interesting and I must say, the poached whole baby Vetki was amazing. The live counter for the Creme Brulee was another thing which I loved. 

Overall, it was a great evening of fun and some good wine-dinner. Thanks once again Honorary Consulate General of France In Kolkata for the invite. 

Bon apetit !!!

Comments and critics welcome. 

I can be reached at indrajit.lahiri@ymail.com / 9903528225 

Disclaimer:- Content support from The French Consulate, Kolkata