Nouveau Wines Arrive

November may be the time of year that heralds the start of a long, cold winter, but for wine lovers it is the time to toast the first wines bottled from the Northern Hemisphere's 1999 grape harvest. This year has even greater significance to wine enthusiasts because it's the century's final such celebration.

Beaujolais Nouveau from French producers Roland Bouchacourt, Georges Duboeuf, Mommessin, Reine Pedauque and Bouchard Pere & Fils, Italy's Novio Novello from Mezzacorona and Canada's Nouveau Rouge from Nova Scotia's Jost Vineyards will arrive in liquor stores on Thursday, Nov. 18. The traditional release date is the third Thursday in November.

These wines bring with them the excitement and liquor store traffic that has been associated with the wine since Roland Bouchacourt introduced the style to the bistros and cafés of Paris in 1947. This event was the catalyst that raised the refreshing red wine to national, and subsequently international, prominence.

The historical context is reflected in Bouchacourt's choice of a colourful label for 1999. It depicts Parisian bookstalls lining the quai Montebello on the banks of the Seine in the shadow of Notre-Dame Cathedral.

All indications are that it has been a good year for both French and Italian wine producers. In Beaujolais, the Gamay grape that produces Beaujolais Nouveau showed a ripeness level not equalled in the past few years with the harvest conducted in almost ideal conditions.

Nova Scotia's growing conditions have been exceptional this year, leaving little doubt that the wines released from the 1999 vintage will be some of the best yet produced in this province.

Harvested less than nine weeks previous, the new wines are light and fresh with a fruit essence that is reminiscent of juicy strawberry and raspberry. These characteristics are accentuated when the wine is served slightly chilled.

Peter Rockwell, the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission's product/market analyst, said Nouveau-style wines are designed with early drinking in mind, often reaching maturity by the Christmas holidays, which "makes them a perfect stocking stuffer."

"Some consider the Nouveau experience to be nothing more than a case of style over substance, but I feel the release of these wines offers the perfect opportunity for wine lovers of all knowledge levels to talk about wine and celebrate as the reality of winter starts to sink in," said Mr. Rockwell.