Wine Sediments

Hats off to Gaillac wine producers for making their primeur  wine a commercial success. I would say that here in Southwest France, it has almost dethroned Beaujolais nouveau.

So far, I’ve tasted one Gaillac primeur, from the Domaine de Labarthe , and was impressed by its structure and complexity. With notes of slightly peppered dark cherries — or perhaps cranberries — I couldn’t help but think it would be a great choice for Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s available in the USA.

I’ve also tried out a relatively pricey Beaujolais nouveau, which sold for 5.95 euros  (about $7.50) — as opposed to 4.70 euros ($6.00) for the Gaillac. Just to be nice, it will remain nameless, but suffice to say that its nose was brimming with the dreaded scents of Haribo strawberry and banana candy, and it tasted more like fermented Kool-Aid than wine.

As you can see, the Gaillac primeur wins this totally unscientific, home-based tasting — hands down.