Nouveau evening

The third Thursday in November is when the ‘Beaujolais Nouveau’ is released, and we had been invited to a ‘soirée’ at a friends house in Chatillon-sur-Seine to celebrate it. We had been asked to bring a bottle, so we decided to pop into our local off license and epicerie in Bar-sur-Seine, L’Instant Gourmet, which is always a delight. We got to try three different producers, two of which we found quite thin in body, but the third we were happy to take along to the party.

The wine was already flowing by the time we arrived and the bottles, ready to be tasted, were all lined up on the side. I think it really is a bit hit and miss to find a good one, and I was driving, so Brian was my trusted taster, a job he volunteered for fully. As is customary when meeting french people, we slowly tried to make our way around the room saying our bonsoirs, and shaking hands, but with so many people, it was quite difficult.

The evening was a very convivial affair, and gave us lots of opportunity to practice our french. It was such a great evening with chatter, singing of french songs (which we haven’t quite got the hang of yet, we need to learn the words for next time) and sharing platters of gougeres, charcuteries, and fromage. To finish off, some delicious Beaujolais-red themed, little coffee and chocolate eclairs.

What a wonderful evening.