Cheers to Beaujolais Nouveau - a reason to celebrate!


The evening ended shortly after midnight with Istuko and me singing along to an Edith Piaf song and saying fond farewells to a Mongolian and a Parisian woman. How did we end up swapping stories and promising to stay in touch with these two strangers? It all started with a couple of glasses of Beaujolais Nouveau at...


...Spring Boutique. Fortunately, we arrived early enough to have the opportunity to talk with Brendan and Josh, two Americans who are well versed in French wines and who obviously love their jobs. But then, who wouldn't?

The boutique took on a festive atmosphere as an ever growing crowd of expatriates and French people sampled the Beaujolais Nouveau and jokingly discussed the merits of this red wine that has only been aged for a couple of weeks. After tasting two different kinds and enjoying a savory tourte de veau, Itsuko and I ventured on to the next stop...

Le Rubis, 10, rue du Marché St.-Honoré, 75001

...le Rubis. Squeezing our way through the enthusiastic crowd outside, we managed to make it to the bar and ordered two more glasses of wine. As French law prohibits winemakers from releasing Beaujolais Nouveau prior to the stroke of midnight on the third Thursday of November, everyone was in the mood to celebrate. So, it wasn't long before Itsuko and I started chatting with Laurence and Galsan, who asked us to go with them to....


...whichever bar is across the street from Chez Dominique. And that's how four strangers - a Mongolian, a Japanese, a Parisian and an American - ended up having a wonderful time laughing, singing and exchanging stories together. As Laurence said, the much anticipated arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau brings people together. How very true!

We didn't go to Le Garde-Robe but noticed it when we left Spring Boutique.

Comments

  1. Wow, what crowds! Looks like so much fun. I want to be an American selling wine in Paris! Or maybe not--oh, the pressure.

    It's sort of like my neighborhood bistrot here--sit at the bar and you end up talking to everyone around you, and before you know it, you've had two extra glasses of wine, and maybe a third, but you've certainly shared some fun stories.

    Happy for you. Poor Stephane had to burn the midnight oil?

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  2. Sounds like a great evening! Especially the singing bit! Nothing like that down here in sleepy Creuse ...

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  3. Joseph, Your neighborhood bistro sounds like a great spot. Thanks for asking about Stephane - he appreciated it! Unfortunately, he was traveling last week. Hopefully he'll be in Paris when the Beaujolais Nouveau arrives next year because Itsuko and I are already planning to make it an annual event.

    Steph, It was a fun evening, although I'm not sure if Edith Piaf would have approved of my singing.

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