Today marks the release of Nouveau wine around the world. At midnight on the third Thursday of November, the sounds of corks popping can be heard from all around as wine drinkers celebrate Nouveau!
Nouveau wine has been a French tradition for centuries. It is the first wine out of each year’s harvest to be released. French tradition does not allow the wine to be released until midnight on that third Thursday.
Through the years Nouveau parties have become more and more original and unique, but I have to say, after reading today’s article on Fox News about Tokyo’s bash, I think they’ve taken the cake. . .
While the Japanese may be toasting this season's release of the Beaujolais Nouveau wine with the traditional "kanpai!" or "dry glass," keeping their glasses dry would prove to be difficult as they bathed in a sea of the red wine at a new spa, the U.K.'s Telegraph reports.
• Click here to view photos.
Revelers on Thursday donned swimsuits and, wine glasses in hand, descended into the red water of the Beaujolais Nouveau spa, part of the Hakone Yunessun spa, where guests are able to bathe and swim in the wine while drinking it.
Japan is the biggest export market for the Beaujolais Nouveau, consuming about 11.5 million bottles, or nearly a quarter of the entire vintage.
"To us Beaujolais nouveau means France, it allows us to experience a little bit of French culture," Nippon News Network journalist Akiko Yajima said earlier this week.
Today we were sent an article about the Governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius, who probably, nonchalantly said “If you ever see Kansas wine, don’t drink it”. Naturally we were compelled to post it.
As seen in our recent post on favorite bloggers, we mention how our favorites have an open mind to wine. For many years the general perception was that only good wine came from France. About a decade ago, wine lovers realized there were also great wines from California and eventually the entire west coast. What many people do not realize is that there are wineries in every single state of the US. Great wines are being created all over our great nation and it is quite disheartening when the head of state doesn’t even realize there are wineries there.
In the past we have not followed the politics of Governor Sebelius so this is not a political bash, however this would be a great opportunity for some wine education.
Sebelius makes quip about Kansas wine
It might not be a good idea to serve Kansas wine to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
At a fundraiser Tuesday for Gov. Chris Gregoire of Washington state, Gregoire praised her state’s wine, says the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
“You should be thankful we don’t make wine in Kansas,” Sebelius said. “If you ever see Kansas wine, don’t drink it.”
Norm Jennings, manager of a Salina, Kan., winery, didn’t find the joke funny: “It hurts.”
Spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran said Sebelius was making the point that Washington produced more wine than Kansas. “She then made a poor attempt at humor but says she won’t do that again!” she said.
WHITE OWL WINERY FOUNDER TO SPEAK AT NATIONAL WINE CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND IN NORTH CAROLINA
(For Immediate Release from Birds, Illinois) It’s amazing where your hobby can take you! So begins the presentation by one of the founders of White Owl Winery, near Birds, Illinois.
Joy Neighbors will be presenting two one-hour-and-15 minute seminars entitled: White Owl Winery, From a Wine-Kit to a Winery this Friday and Saturday, November 2 and 3 during the 40th Annual Conference of the American Wine Society in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
Neighbors is the Marketing Director of the winery and has been the originator and coordinator for the successful Murder Mystery and Comedy Improv Dinners held at White Owl for the past six years. She will speak on how the winery began, the obstacles encountered in growing a small winery in Illinois and the successful outlook for the future. She will also discuss the growth of wineries and vineyards throughout the state and the benefits of being an Illinois winery.
Neighbors was invited to speak by Gene Spaziani, National Program Chairperson for the American Wine Society. She will be the first person ever to speak from the state of Illinois. Over 6,000 attendees are expected to attend this weekend.
Before opening the winery in 2000 with her husband Brian, Neighbors spent 20 years in the broadcasting industry as a writer, producer/director and talent. She began her radio career at WAOV in Vincennes, Indiana and then moved to WTAY in Robinson, Illinois before moving to Ohio to begin a career in television.
Neighbors speaks regularly to groups and associations about the winery, marketing and agri-tourism.
