Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!

Today I went in search of the elusive Beaujolais Nouveau...well, elusive in central Pennsylvania anyway. I was a bit disheartened at the first shop I entered when they informed me that they had sold out within the first 30 minutes of opening today but I pressed on with my quest and was quite pleased to find quite a few bottles still available for purchase at the second store in town.
The Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine made from the Gamay grape that is produced (and handpicked by law) in the Beaujolais region of France. It is fermented for just a couple of weeks before being released for sale at exactly 12:01 am local time on the third Thursday of November each year.
The most well known producer of Beaujolais Nouveau is Georges Duboeuf but in actuality there are several dozen vintners producing this popular red. In 2010, 35 millions bottles were put on the market; 15.5 million of those being sold in Japan, Germany and the United States. 
This is not a wine for the connoisseur (which I certainly am not) but I feel there is great fun and a certain camaraderie in participating in a tradition that takes place on this night, in homes, cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and bistros around the world. 

"Beaujolais is the color of translucent cherry. It has an aroma that puts you in the company of the poets of France. It has the taste of Spring in bloom and the depth of a wise woman. There is nothing more to say, only to taste..."

~ "Virginia"  in Memories of Wine and Poetry by Stephanie Andrews