Joined on 28/07/2008
London and 37 Guerchois
Posts 3,087
Re: Le Beaujolais nouveau
I thought BN was just so the industry vinicults could taste the brew to see if was worth bottling or selling on. Then they found out that really really young wine could be sold to the Brits at inflated prices leaving more of the good stuff for France.
It is just a marketing trick to get rid of bad wine. They have been grubbing out the vineyards which produce the muck to try and move upmarket. Keep grubbing I say.
it tasted like a mixture of dog dung and furniture polish.
That good eh?
I was with a crowd in a London hotel dining room some years ago when the d*ck head at the top of the table was persuaded by the wine waiter to order three bottles for the table.
I've been suspicious of chilled red wine ever since.
Nothing wrong with lightly chilled (decent) red wine, especially those from the Loire valley but also Grand wines which, after all, ought to be served "chambré" - generally in the region of 16 degrees C (18 absolute max.). What is the usual temperature in your living room (20, 22, 24, even more?) or in your local restaurant?
If I can't serve my wines straight from our cellar, then I bung 'em in one of our "caves à vin" (special wine fridges) for a bit before serving. Alternatives are to put them in a wine cooler, or briefly in the fridge (although that's far from ideal because the temperature shock is too great) or, in winter (provided it's not freezing out), to stick 'em outside in the cold for a bit.
In the summer here (which can get to 40+°) red wine is almost always served chilled. If you look on the label it often says should be served between 16 + 18 °.