Fete des Crus 2013..or the Beaujolais Wine Fete

Our  house guests have gone...so sad to see them leave for many reasons. They add youthfulness to our life...it was them who went to the karaoke night at the Black Sheep across the way and we got to live it vicariously.And they brought the game Skipbo which we played and laughed over ! And their going home means we only have a bit of time left ourselves but it also makes us home sick too.. nothing like home. We have been hearing about all the good weather in Nova Scotia..plus I am anxious to hear the "peepers"  and see my grand dogs...Rufus, Sam and my wonderful Senta. As well , with all the warm weather I am sure the grass is growing and needs to be cut and then there is getting my garden in!!Plus this is pretty much a life of leisure...the good fairy arrives tomorrow to do all the cleaning and change the beds and vacuum...stuff I have forgotten how to do and which will be front and centre in  the not too distant future. And really, after this much time I have worn everything I brought in my suitcase and I would love some of the clothes I left behind..But somehow we will forge through the next week or so and try to make the best of all the cheeses there are left to try and wines and beautiful views and hilltop towns and a new fete we heard about today.Oh my another fete?
 Well what about Baujolais you ask...the fete of all fetes....?
Let me start  with a little wine lesson. We were not going to Beaujolais to taste what the world thinks about when they hear that name Beaujolais...   their Nouveau which comes out the third Thursday in November and is that easy drinkable fruity wine that tastes like those banana marshmallow candies we had as kids. No, we went to drink their Beaujolais  wines from their ten Crus villages..same grape..Gamay... but made like wine is made everywhere else in France...fermentation, aged in oak, bottled and rested and then sold. In contrast, Nouveau grapes are  put into large containers with CO2 and thus starts a process called carbonic maceration. When it starts to ferment they like to stop it so their is a little spritz left in the wine..it is bottled and sent off to us...the Nouveau process takes a few months depending on when the grapes are picked while the Crus village process  is about 18 months or more.
I keep using that term crus villages...and there are ten of them, and the appellation control system in France allows the wine of those villages from the vineyards associated with those villages to be considered a better product ...which it is..better than say plain old Beaujolais . But thta's enough of that wine lesson..for now anyway.
 Let me start by saying  I have been to most of the wine areas in France..Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Provence...but Beaujolais is the MOST BEAUTIFUL... di you hear my shouting?The hills fold down and you feel like you are standing in a bowl of vineyards and you look up and you wonder how  they are going to get the tractor up there to work the soil and oick the grapes. Well they don't. that is part of the issue in Beaujolais... caring for the vineyards is so intense and manual labour and the wines do not demand the same high prices as other places these little wineries are struggling to make ends meet.No big chateaux here...but certainly some lovely homes and the people are all so happy and welcoming especially at heir fete... and another thing..most of the operations are team efforts..husband and wife... and both names are on the bottle.
Now I am afarid that I have no pictures of the countyside ..beaujolais to show you...the weather was cold and rainy most of the weekend...and Jamie our son brought his super- d- duper camera and we let him take most of the pictures ...but he will send us some when we are home and I will post some so you can see but more than that I would urge you to go and se for yourself.. and don't get swayed to go just to Burgundy..but take the extra time to go to Beaujolais..itnis well worth it...rent a house there.. they love their horses and there are lots of riding trails and rings... and they love their TENNIS..yes  and they have indoor and outdoor courts..big indoor courts that could hardly survive in Halifax but are thriving in Beaujolais.
So given the weather this fete could have been a disaster but these guys are really good at organizing these two days and  just because the numbers were way down and it was freezing there was lots of wine to try and the music was playing and the spirit was festive... and the food... ever gone to an outdoor event where in this huge gorgeous tent they serve a 4 course meal...a terrine starter with salad, beef bourgogne.. and a strawbeery dessert with a baguette and wine is brought around on a push trolley..always the wine... and espresso at the end.
each year a different village..of the ten...hosts it...and picks a theme... this year it was visitas.. which they have in Beaujolais for sure....This year Brouilly was the host ... and so they had a large booth front and centre. Oh yes, to be more specific...for the two days they actually shut the ton down... no cars...you park outdise ina  field or wherever..a designated spot and you are driven to the town.... such a great idea as you can walk up and down the streets visiting the various booths wine related but also food related and lots of artisanal booths. street bads are roaming up and down and it is just such a happy time.
Each Crus village has a designated courtyard and their  wines are all set up and you go in and taste as many as you want ... all you need is a strategy to figure out what to ask for. And they give you a book with all the producers listed and places to write notes..and a map.
It was 6 euros to get in... and that included a Lehmann tasting glass..wow.. these glasses are great and are reccommended by Gerard Basset the worlds greatest sommelier in 2010.. we have 4 to bring home..one from each day.

This is the booth for the village of Chiroubles and a handsmoe Frenchman Audrey and I picked up..