What's Going On in the World of French Wines

For many wine lovers, Thanksgiving isn’t so much about the turkey as it is about the chance to sample the latest vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau. Each year on the third Thursday in November, Beaujolais Nouveau, one of the very first French wines of the new vintage, is released onto the market. Although today the release of Beaujolais Nouveau is still met with enthusiasm, years ago the anticipation of the release date was so great that it became a contest as to who could sample the wine first.

Hype aside, there is a good deal to appreciate about the wines of Beaujolais and there is much more to the region than just Beaujolais Nouveau. While many wine classes …