2000 Beaujolais Nouveau

[Botafogo]

The essential problem is that the target date for "marketing to Americans for T-day" bears no synchronicity to the harvest. In days of old the festival in Paris was whenever the wine was ready and it was like Paul Revere running into town screaming about the Redcoats when the bistros put up their "Nouveau est arrive!" signs, it was actual news, now it is more scripted than George W's statement to the nation last night (when you look up "deer in the headlights in an online dictionary is there a Quicktime clip of that?).

And, NO, we NEVER sell Beaujolais Nouveau and ALWAYS have four of five altenatives that are better AND cheaper. The year when the Frogs were blowing up islands in the South Pacific we made a huge banner that read "Nuclear Free Nouveau!", got on local television and drove the French consul CRAZY.

Last year a local, quite famous FRENCH cooking equipment store got in our face, staged a bliind tasting to "prove" the superiority of the French stuff and the Mezzacorona Novello won hands down, they ended up serving it at THEIR party and it was $5.99!!!

What surprises me is that none of the wineries in the South of France have jumped on this train as they would have the same advantages as the Italians: earlier, quality harvests and the chance to send it by ship to be price competitive. AND, I must remind all of you, I started in this career as the largest buyer of FRENCH wines in the Southern US and have reached my current position through experience and research.

Roberto

[This message has been edited by Botafogo (edited 11-16-2000).]