Looking for info on the 2004 Beaujolais celebration
 

My boyfriend and I are going to go this year and I'm trying to find out the details - which weekend in November? Do you need tickets to get into some tastings? Is it everywhere or are the certain cities where the event/release is a truly special experience. I've been doing some research on the net and I don't seem to be getting a sense of what different places are doing for the November release date. Has anyone gone?

Hi
The "fête du beaujolais nouveau" takes place on the 3rd Thursday in November every year. It's celebrated all over France, but you'd probably have most fun in one of the towns or villages in the Beaujolais region (e.g. Beujeu, or Villefranche sur Saône) or else in Lyon, where the event is cause for much celebration.

hanl - do you know whether I would need to book tickets to individual events or is it just such a mass celebration - sort of like the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona where the city rolls out the welcome and there are lots of things going on???

We were in Paris a few years ago when the Beaujolais first arrived. You'll see many cafes with the "Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrive" signs.

I don't recall hearing about any paid tasting events, not that they don't exist. But, we saw plenty of people out enjoying many of of the cafes in the 6th near the Blvd. St. Germain. We opted for bouncing around a bit from place to place depending on how lively it looked.

In terms of the date, I believe it is always sold on the third Thursday of November. This year that'd be the 18th.

As Patrick says, you can usually just wander from café to café and taste the Beaujolais that's on offer. In Lyon last year there were a lot of bands playing in the bars and streets, and lots of oysters being consumed along with the wine!

However, i've just been investigating the festivities in Beujeu and it certainly looks like they put on a big celebration. There's some (interestingly translated) information here:
http://www.beaujeu.com/sarmentelles-uk.html

You can also check the official Beaujolais tourism site - go to
http://www.beaujolais.com/eng/page.htm and then "A land full of celebration" and then click on "Harvest and beaujolais nouveau celebration"

Sorry Ryan, I called you Patrick for no particular reason!!!

Hanl and Ryan:

Thanks for your info soooo much..just booked our tix !!!! Have decided to play it by ear and just relax, wander and enjoy...luckily we also will have our French speaking friends with us as well and they have said they will handle details of our activities and that there's no need to book anything but the flight and hotel - appreciate again your insights!!!

I am a sucker for tradition.. love it. Maybe last November's vintage of Beaujolais simply wasn't very tasty...but at nearly every cafe in Paris there were the signs... so I tried it, several times.

A friend who is French said that the french don't think its very "great" either but its tradition and so therefor its the Party, not the wine!

I'd go for it!

I don't think Beaujolais Nouveau is a great wine by any means, but I thought last year's was one of the best in a long time, actually.

I agree, Christina - we were surprised to find how palatable it was last year. The hot sunny summer meant less was produced, but the quality was higher. This year's Beaujolais Nouveau is unlikely to be up to much, as it was a pretty poor summer, not much sun.

Topping for gomiki.

This is the thread I referenced on the US board.