Marketing! Pure marketing brilliance. Some wines are all flash and no substance, pretty packages, gimmicky labels, marketing fluff and no flavor. If the Gamay found in the Beaujolais Nouveau was in any other bottle some might say it fits in the previous sentence…and maybe it does. Each year, with great fanfare and celebration, the French celebrate the completion of harvest with the release of Gamay from Beaujolais Village. The wine in the bottle was still hanging as grapes on the vine just 6-8 weeks ago.

Seemingly everyone is familiar with Georges Duboeuf’s “don’t need to buy a vowel” wine. Rather than bore you with a lazy wine writing, I’ll just give you my thoughts so you know what you’re getting in to. Rather than attempt to explain how the carbonic maceration works, I’ll let you read the great explanation from Erika Syzmanski, writing for Palate Press.

For me, the wine is average. It’s exactly what I would expect it to be. It’s not complex, there are no layers of cedar, earth or spice. The color is bright and it tastes like a slightly tart grape Jolly Rancher.  In this wine drinker’s opinion the 2010 vintage is better than the 2009. Should you buy it? I think it’s fun. I also love the concept. The marketing works on me and I enjoy the spirit of celebrating the culmination of the harvest. Would I buy it on a regular basis? Nope, but every once in a while it’s okay to put aside the snobbery and celebrate with something fun. At $10-$12 it won’t rock your world, but that is just fine sometimes. 3/5

Enjoy life with friends. Drink Happy!