FrenchDuck’s databank
Beaujolais

Etaples (62 Pas de Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) celebrates its 15th Herring Fesitval (Fete du Hareng Roi) on the weekend of 10-11 November 2007.
Etaples is an important centre for commercial (and amateur) fishing on the English Channel (or French Manche) at the mouth of the River Canche, close to classy Le Touquet. This version offers grilled, smoked and marinated herrings plus stories of the sea! (see www.etaples-tourisme.com)

Alternatively, the following weekend (17-18 November 2007) Boulogne-sur-Mer holds its Herring Festival with the addition of sea-shanties and the arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau, which happens to be quite a good food and wine combination! (see www.tourisme-boulognesurmer.com)

North of Macon at Igé (71 Saone-et-Loire, Burgundy) you could indulge in a wine and gastronomic stay at this aptly named Chambre d’Hote (B&B) In addition to 5 very spacious comfortable bedrooms in this former winemaker’s house, they offer Table d’Hote suppers and tutored food and wine tastings and tours in the heart of Burgundy - with an impressive cellar and wine museum.
The area is high on the hills north of the Beaujolais region, close to Pouilly-Fuissé AC and is particularly good for its Chardonnay-based white wines. We used to import the white Macon-Berzé AC from Chateau de Berzé through our friends at Paul Beaudet - still available from Paul Beaudet in Pontanevaux in France.
Also in the vicinity is the Abbey of Cluny and a medieval town with many houses dating back to the 12th and 14th centuries. The magnificent landscapes of Solutré, Mont Saint Romain and the surrounding Charolais region are all within easy reach.

For more info see http://cote-vigne.suivezlagrappe.com

The third Thursday in November is the release date for the new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau, nowadays the first date on which it can be sold. In earlier years the wine was not allowed to leave the region before Wednesday midnight which is where the tradition of the Beaujolais Nouveau run was born. But back in the 70s and 80s this was a major wine event in the UK - but no more, as we have so much more choice, and Beaujolais Nouveau seldom represents great value for money - it is a bit of a novelty, and in good years it can be wonderful - really juicy jammy easy-drinking wines. However in not so good years it can be thin and acidic.

Nick Dobson knows the region and its wines well and always selects good Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau:-

2007 has again been a very mixed year climatically; a mild winter allowed very early flowering of the vines in mid May, and the hope and expectation of another hot year in the same style as 2003, with an August harvest. In the end however, the summer was cooler than expected, and the harvest took place just slightly ahead of normal in early September. Warm dry weather round the harvest was beneficial for grape maturity and fruit quality. The general consensus from growers I have spoken with is that this years’s Nouveaux wines will be extremely fruity in style; the verdict on the main crop of 2007 Cru Beaujolais wines will have to wait a while, but the vintage is generally thought as being of good or slightly above-average quality.

However, you do need to pre-order (by 28 October) if you are interested - see Nick Dobson Fine Wines

Recommended reading: I’ll Drink to That: Beaujolais and the French Peasant Who Made It the World’s Most Popular Wine