In our first video chat, Carol Anne and I discuss beaujolais nouveau wines to try this year. However, for those who want to try other easy-drinking red wines this week and during the holidays, we’ve got more suggestions above for you.
On the third Thursday of every November, Beaujolais producers in southern Burgundy, France, release wine from the new harvest. More than 60 million bottles make their way around the world to bistros, bars and restaurants. Nouveau is a knock-it-back kind of wine to be enjoyed in the spirit of celebrating the harvest!
Here are my top 10 food matches for this light-bodied red bursting with notes of field strawberries:
1. Poached salmon
2. Roast chicken sandwich
3. Crusty baquette and cheese
4. Smoked ham
5. Mixed field green salads
6. Cream-sauce pastas
7. Various pates and terrines
8. Pepperoni pizza
9. Turkey and cranberry sauce
10. Potato chips
Cheers!
Posted with permission of CTV.
Beaujolais Nouveau arrives Thursday! Top 10 Food Matches …
Michael: Let’s go back to Carol Anne now, who’s with Natalie MacLean and they’re talking about seasonal wines. Now as we head into the holiday season a lot of people could use advice on this, ladies?
Carol Anne: Absolutely Michael.
Michael: Yes.
Carol Anne: And we’ve just done a big switcheroo, we’ve taken the Beaujolais off and we’ve brought in a whole new batch of reds.
Natalie: We have.
Carol Anne: How are these ones differ than the Beaujolais?
Natalie: So these are also light Reds for holiday entertaining or if you’re not a fan of Nouveau you could try some of these instead on Thursday and join in the celebrations. So as I said not all Beaujolais is Nouveau, if we go again to the far right that’s George Duboeuf but not a Nouveau. So it’s a light red wine and right beside it you have another one from him.
Carol Anne: Hob Nob.
Natalie: Yes, exactly. So what happens in Burgundy, so Beaujolais is the Southern part of Burgundy but in Northern Burgundy you have Pinot Noir is the grape and that’s the heartbreak grape because it’s so difficult and expensive to make but it ends up making a very complex seductive wine that still light and packs a lot of flavour. So Pinot Noir is made around the world, we have one here from California and we excel at it in Niagara.
Carol Anne: Henry of Pelham, I recognized this label, tell me about this wine.
Natalie: Exactly, so that is a wonderful winery in Niagara, the Speck Brothers make this wine, three brothers and it’s a historic winery. The Pinot Noir, why we do Pinot Noir so well here in Ontario is that we’re a cool climate. So Pinot Noir and other light reds love cool climates; the reason is less sunshine, less sugar in the grapes, it’s the sugar in the grapes that translates into alcohol and big robust Shiraz or Cabernet. So when you’ve got a cool climate like we have here, Pinot Noir thrives and you can get lots of flavour. It’s not a wimpy wine by any means but it’s just not heavy in alcohol.
Carol Anne: Does the Ontario wine, does it stand up next to some of the like the George Duboeuf?
Natalie: Absolutely and in internationally competitions it will also win medals over French wines. They do it blind so we have other regions here; we’ve got another one from Niagara – The Flat Rock here but we also have a region that’s quite close to us in Picton. Casa-Dea, it’s a pinot noir again they have a really tough growing season up there and that it’s so chilly.
Carol Anne: Yes.
Natalie: But when they make wine its divine because for vines like people suffering is good; it kind of makes you more complex.
Carol Anne: Yes.
Natalie: I don’t know.
Carol Anne: Here we are.
Natalie: Let’s keep it happy.
Carol Anne: Okay. But you chose pinot noir today Natalie just because?
Natalie: I did. It’s so light and so when we think holiday entertaining, sometimes we think “Oh! Bring on the big reds.” but when I think of holiday turkey that tends to be dry at least at our house. You want something juicy and really moist, you know gives some moisture to the meat but also at holiday parties you know people are standing and sipping on wines all evening or 3-4 hours. You don’t want to unless you have a lot of you know extra cuts.
Carol Anne: Cuts.
Natalie: Yes. You don’t want to be serving them like a heavy full on high alcohol kind of wine. Plus the other thing is that these light reds are far more food-friendly, so if you’ve got cheeses or nuts or whatever out on the table these are beautiful.
Carol Anne: Forage folks, you choose all reds…
Natalie: Yes.
Carol Anne: But white wine can still be served at this time of the year?
Natalie: Absolutely, you got your winter whites like your wardrobe.
Carol Anne: Yes.
Natalie: So with white wines, you can still go light if you want that would be Riesling which we do well here.
Carol Anne: Yes.
Natalie: Or you can go more full body that would be your oak chardonnay, wines like that, sauvignon blanc is also good very versatile.
Carol Anne: If you were going to give one of this as a gift, now because a gift thing is big at this time of the year.
Natalie: Sure.
Carol Anne: What would you suggest?
Natalie: Well you know what; I go back to this Henry of Pelham Pinot Noir because it’s not just because it’s local, you know my taste buds need more than patriotism. It’s a great wine, it’s also – pinot noir is a switch-hitter wine, meaning that if you don’t know the taste of the person; it’s neither to wimpy nor too heavy.
Carol Anne: Yes.
Natalie: It kind of goes both ways for all palates, it’s a great gift wine.
Carol Anne: Okay, this seems to be so much wine out there right now.
Natalie: There’s.
Carol Anne: You have a website that will break it down for folks right if they have questions, its nataliemaclean.com.
Natalie: Yes, it is.
Carol Anne: And what do you focusing on right now this time of the year?
Natalie: Well a lot of holiday, a lot of gift wines. So people are looking for things that won’t break the bank but still look you know we do look at the labels…
Carol Anne: Yes.
Natalie: They still look beautiful; they taste great for you know a hostess gift. So I do recommend them both on the website and in the mobile app which is free.
Carol Anne: Okay, that’s Natalie MacLean’s expertise and I hope you’d learn something here today, I know I did. Natalie it’s always a pleasure to have you in.
Natalie: Thanks. Alright, it’s a joy to be here in.
Carol Anne: Before Christmas you’ll be back?
Natalie: Cheers! Of course, you know there’s more drinks in the do, I mean talking.
Carol Anne: Thanks Natalie.
