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A reason to celebrate

There are holiday celebrations and then there are other types of celebrations.

One of the reasons to celebrate has a bit to do with the past holiday (Thanksgiving) and nothing to do with the future holiday (Christmas). So let’s start with the past celebration that calls for some reflection…

Besides having two of our sons home with us, we had a terrific time at my sister and brother-in-law’s place on Thanksgiving.  During the past weeks, there had been conversations about a whiskey called Piehole Pecan Pie Whiskey, and there was a rumor it would appear on the holiday table right beside the turkey.

Our son walked in the door and produced the said bottle of whiskey and the celebration began. Samples of the spirit were poured, and the taste was amazing. When I took my initial sip of the whiskey, my tongue was surrounded by…the taste of pecan pie. The pie taste was so real I wanted to start chewing but didn’t because it would’ve made me look silly. It was time to just enjoy and exclaim to those around me, “Hey, let’s have another piece of pie!” As a side note to the dinner, we had a bottle of Bogle Zinfandel to pair with the cranberries and all the other food items. The fruitiness of the Zinfandel and its slight spicy finish was perfect and the bottle was soon empty.

Later that day and along with a turkey sandwich, I opened a bottle of Oregon’s Swallow Pinot Noir that  my son had brought home.  I hadn’t tasted that Pinot Noir before and was very pleasantly surprised with a light fruity aroma, a mild cherry taste and a soft lingering finish. Oregon is producing stellar wines and this bottle of Pinot Noir was a good example of how advanced that state’s wineries have come in wine making.  If you can find it, celebrate!  Drink it slowly and respectfully, it deserves the time.

But along with the holidays, there is another reason to celebrate at this time of the year and it’s called Beaujolais Nouveau. This wine, which comes to us from Beaujolais, France and while not a new wine,  is just starting to find itself onto the shelves of our liquor stores. It’s made from Gamay grapes, and the grapes are picked, fermented quickly, bottled within two months of picking and then released for public consumption on the third Thursday of November — just in time for Thanksgiving and it’s a really big deal.

In France, the release day is known as “It’s Beaujolais Nouveau Time!” and the wine is meant for immediate drinking, which means most of the year’s production is gone within six months. It’s not because the wine will go bad within a few months but because over the years, it’s become a tradition to drink the wine as a celebration for the just completed harvest — and,  it tastes darn good!

Upon opening a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau, the aroma is very mild and fruity but the taste is what catches your attention.  Taking a sip of the chewy cherry tasting wine, you’ll start to wonder where you’ve tasted it before and as the light tannin finish cruises down your throat, you’ll desire another taste just make sure of what you are tasting. And then it’ll hit you…it’s similar to a Zinfandel or a Pinot Noir.

It’s “Beaujolais Nouveau Time!” Whether you’re buying a bottle of Pascal Chatelus or a Georges Duboeuf  Beaujolais Nouveau, you’ll find they cost between $10 and $15 a bottle. This is the right time of the year for this fresh wine so buy and enjoy.

As we all know, it’s the time of the year for celebrations but it’s also the time of the year to remember to take it a bit easy and enjoy a few moments of quietness with a glass of a very good wine. Find your favorite wine and embrace it — life’s too short not to enjoy the simple pleasures.

Next week, I’ll have a stout or do I mean a porter?

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!

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