Beaujolais Nouveau Party, Ooh la la!

Photo via Google Image Search

Are you looking for an excuse to get together with your pals this week? Oui, oui! Look no further because Beaujolais Nouveau Day is upon us! Invite the gals over for an inexpensive, wine-themed girl’s night with a little French flair. Ooh la la!

Photo via Georges Duboeuf

The cause of much revelry in France and among Francophiles in other countries, Beaujolais Nouveau wines are traditionally released the third Thursday of November. (This year, November 21. 2013) They are the first wines out of harvest each year and are drunk to celebrate life and hard work. They’re also a perfect accompaniment for a girlfriend get-together—fresh, cheap, fruity and fun to drink. The informal, frivolous spirit surrounding their release around the world is a great excuse to get the girls together and celebrate!

If you’d like more background on Beaujolais Nouveau, there’s a nice little history from the IntoWine website here.

Setting and setup

For Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2013, the timing is a bit last-minute, so clean up the kitchen and the party room and be done with it. Adding twinkle lights or plenty of candles is always a festive touch. You will, of course, need to be outfitted with wine glasses and a corkscrew. Chill the wine beforehand; because Beaujolais Nouveau is served chilled–half an hour in the fridge is perfect according to the Georges DuBeoef website.

Invitations

Evite is the speediest way to create an electronic or mobile-friendly invite.  It has lots of fun wine design and girl’s night out options.  It even lets you search flickr or Google image search for cool photos (I searched “beaujolais nouveau” and came up with many good choices) or insert a photo of your own.  

Photo via Google Image Search

Run out on Thursday and buy some Beaujolais Nouveau, (Bojo Nouveau wines can not be purchased before the 3rd Thursday of November, so you will have to buy them the day of!) and chill it down. Your local wine merchant should be able to help you find some. Georges DuBeouf is a commonly seen brand in the U.S., with a price average of $10.00 per bottle. The company even offers Beaujolais Nouveau party planning tips and a calculator to help you figure out how much wine to buy. There are other brands too, so be adventurous and try a few. Maybe you will even want to have a mini tasting with your gal pals. The Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau, pictured at right is one of my favorites. I would describe it as light and juicy and perfect for entertaining. It is priced around $12 – $13 per bottle.

Serve a selection of French cheeses to try with your Beaujolais Nouveau. Your wine merchant, local TraderJoes or Whole Foods should be able to help you select some within your budget. If you’d like to explore further, there’s an About.com article about pairing wine and cheese here. Slice up a baguette, arrange on a cheese board or pretty serving tray, and voila!

You could also serve some tapas-style appetizers if you are inclined to spend just a bit more time in the kitchen. 

Connecting Activities

-Toast your girlfriends with this special girlfriend salute:

A Toast to our Girlfriends

Here’s to our girlfriends

They keep us strong

They make us laugh the whole night long

They give us shoulders to cry on

And shoes to try on

They see our true selves

Even when we look like hell

So raise a glass to our female friends

May the fun we share never end!

• It would be fun to share some Wine and/or French trivia, learn some French phrases, or watch some French films during your Bojo Day soiree.
• You can also print this ‘What Kind of Wine areYou?’ quiz for a fun diversion.
• Or, keep the girls occupied making their own beaded wine charms. You’ll find an awesome how-to for “Ridiculously Easy” beaded wine charms on NotMartha.

Favors

If you don’t make your own wine charms at the party, buy some as favors to give your friends. Pretty wine charms are a lovely and useful favor, and you can find them at many discount stores or check out Etsy.com for lots of super cute options.

If nothing else, buy some bottles of Bojo Nouveau this Thursday, Friday or Saturday, and invite some friends over to share a little girlfriend spirit. It’s such an easy excuse for a girlfriend get-together.

Do you have some wine-related girls night ideas to share? I would love to hear them, please leave them below. 

Merci beaucoup!

Angee

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