Good Taste: Time again

Te Mata Gamay Noir 2010. Photo / Supplied

You know you're getting old when you start asking, "Where has the year gone?"

I caught myself asking that very question this week when I realised it was beaujolais nouveau time again.

On the third Thursday in November each year, France launches into a wine-fuelled frenzy to celebrate the release of beaujolais nouveau.

Beaujolais nouveau, or "new beaujolais", is released within weeks of the grapes being picked. Most other red wine producers release their wines from six months to five years after the harvest.

The nouveau boom, which reached its peak in the early 1990s has been a curse as well as a blessing for the region. The fanfare means the whole region has been tarred by the nouveau brush and the wines are often insipid.

Produced from the gamay grape in an area just north of Lyon, beaujolais that doesn't enter the nouveau race is the ultimate in refreshment with lots of juicy red fruit, boiled sweets, banana skin, and acidity.

The intense fruity aromas and soft tannins are derived from a technique called carbonic maceration, in which whole berries are fermented.

If you see "beaujolais villages" on the label, it is a step up from "beaujolais". These wines come from 10 villages, are more distinctive than those from the rest of the region, and age gracefully.

Wines of the week

Te Mata Gamay Noir 2010,
Woodthorpe Vineyard, Hawke's Bay ($21, Fine Wine Delivery Co, Caro's, Glengarry's, selected Countdown and New World).

New Zealand's answer to beaujolais. Vivid pink with classic gamay blue tint. Attractive boiled sweet, raspberry and banana skin aromas and appetising acidity. Best slightly chilled on a summer's day.

Chateau du Bourg 2009, Beaujolais-Villages ($22.50, Maison Vauron).'
Soft, fruity and juicy. Packed with aromas of violets, pepper spice, and raspberry. Mouthwatering acidity on the finish and fine-grained texture.

Potel-Aviron 2008, Moulin-a-Vent ($35, Maison Vauron).
A serious beaujolais with nutmeg, brown banana skin and a hint of leather on the nose. Concentrated and complex with savoury tannin on the finish. Drink with game or red meat.