Beaujolais Nouveau 2015 Fête and Auction at the Heathman

Every year, the third Friday in November at midnight in France kicks off the nationwide Beaujolais Nouveau festival. Beaujolais Nouveau specifically is a young wine created from Gamay grapes freshly harvested by hand in the Beaujolais area of Bourgogne (also known as Burgundy) and bottled 6-8 weeks after the harvest after carbonic maceration, or whole berry fermentation.

This means the wines don’t have time to absorb tannins, and has a lot of fruit flavors. It is served chilled almost like a white wine, but has the fruit of the red wine – a perfect offering of both the worlds of red and and white.

St Honore as part of the Nouveau Division Crawl 2014 presented some of their Tarte Flambées with Beujolais Nouveau from the famous Georges Du Boeuf. Lauretta Jeans presented Mini brownies and Chiroubles Beujolais. This year the 2015 crawl is on Thursday November 19.

I don’t really know exactly why it’s regulated by the French government that the wine cannot be released until the third Friday in November. I don’t know why that the release of the wine is celebrated so boisterously with wine parties including the wine, food, and sometimes even fireworks. There are races from barrel to bottle to then distribute the wine across the land (allegedly including transportation items such as elephant, hot air balloon, and Concorde jet) and enjoy the wine upon arrival since Beaujolais is meant for immediate drinking.

What I do know is that this race also includes across the ocean, including this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau 2015 wines being freshly imported from France to Portland, and for example to Portland’s Fête Beaujolais Nouveau.

What I do know is that the West Coast’s largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival (with 450-500 guests each year) has been held every year at the Heathman Restaurant & Bar in Portland. This year their will be the 14th year for their Fête Beaujolais Nouveau, ​presented by The French-American Chamber of Commerce​ and the Alliance ​​Française de Portland​.

The event this year occurs on Friday, November 20, 2015, at 6 PM. Tickets include access to newly imported Beaujolais Nouveau 2015 wines as well as wines and spirits more locally sourced from Oregon, Washington and California.

West Coast’s largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Katharine Kimball.

A French-themed food buffet that covers the entire Mezzanine and Tea Court levels of the Heathman hotel with a menu prepared by Executive Chef Michael Stanton and features live cooking stations with chef demos (see the Beaujolais Nouveau 2015 Menu here).

Guests and Foie Gras, and Guests and Seafood, at the Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Heather Heaton.

The classy live entertainment will include Portland’s Heather Keizur, a jazz vocalist who sings in French and English, followed by the Bobby Torres Band presenting Latin jazz.

Ticket options include

• standard guest tickets at $70 with no seating (guests float among bistro and cocktail tables)
• a limited number of Young Professionals tickets at $60 (Young Professionals apparently are between the ages of 21 and 35)
• Sold Out Gold reserved seats at tables in the Opus room at in the Mezzazine level
• Sold Out VIP tables with reserved seats for parties of eight in the Library Mezzanine space
• The event sells out every year, so if you want to go buy your tickets ahead of time.

What I do know is that on this day of the third Friday of November, as you enjoy a glass or bottle of Beaujolais, you know that around the world, there are many many others where this same enjoyment of Beaujolais is occurring.

West Coast’s largest Beaujolais Nouveau festival at the Heathman in Portland 2014. Photos courtesy of Alliance Française de Portland, taken by photographer Katharine Kimball.

Would you like to join in on the worldwide French wine party for Beaujolais Nouveau 2015? It’s on my calendar, and feel free to invite your friends with the Beaujolais Nouveau Fête and Auction 2015 Facebook event!

Disclosure: I am attending the Fête Beaujolais Nouveau on a media pass, but I was not compensated or asked to write this post. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.