We had a barbecue last evening and paired the food with four wines from the Beaujolais wine region of France. The last wine was the 2010 Chiroubles. In a casual survey, our dinner guests preferred the Beaujolais Villages, Château Luc du Tracot, however it was interesting to note that the bottle of the Chiroubles was the first bottle emptied.
The 2010 Chiroubles was alluring. Even though our guests indicated they preferred another wine, they kept reaching for the Chiroubles made from 100% Gamay grapes. The image of a rooster on the label detracted from the sophistication associated with French wines. Yet sophistication was trumped by allure. The dark ruby color with a light rim indicated the youth of the wine. The aroma had dark fruit and spice notes. There was plum on the taste and the fruit yielded to spice on the finish. Licorice and cedar predominated the aftertaste.

This wine was paired with barbequed chicken. This was an easy pairing to remember since there is a chicken on the wine bottle’s label. The chicken was also spice, coated with Penzeys Spices Northwoods Seasoning. The Northwoods Seasoning is a blend of Hungarian sweet paprika, Tellicherry black pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic and chipotle. The seasoning gave the chicken a nice spicy taste that matched well with the wine.

Consider wines from Beaujolais during 4^th of July celebrations. They are light and pair well with barbecued foods.

Cheers,
Terry