Julien's Journal November 2015 (Volume 40, Number 11) | Page 49

Advertorial

“Le Beaujolais
nouveau est arrivé!”
French-inspired Nouveau
wine tradition becomes a
31-year tradition in Galena,
Illinois.
“Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!” Simply translated, “Wine lovers: get
ready, get set, go!” The third Thursday of
November marks the annual release of
Beaujolais Nouveau and the opportunity
to be among the first to sample the new,
shortly fermented wine, previewing the
current year’s fall harvest.
In France, this tradition began well over a
century ago. In Galena, IL, it kicked off at
the hands of Galena Cellars Vineyard &
Winery in 1985. Today, it’s grown to be a
full-blown community celebration inviting
epicureans of all levels to enjoy all things
wine.

by artist Beth Bird will also be unveiled.

or Galena.org.

Local restaurants continue the celebration with live music, wine tasting, dinner
specials, and receptions. Throughout the
weekend, wine lovers can also enjoy vineyard tours (Galena boasts three area vineyards), winemaker dinners, wine-inspired
pampering such as spa and shopping specials, and lodging packages.

Galena Cellars Vineyard, established in
1990 in rural Galena, Illinois, is home to
22 different specialty grapes, many of
which are hybrids developed by universities throughout the country in an effort to
create a vine and grape with the hardiness
needed to grow in this region. The vineyard
is open to the public year round (seasonal
winter hours) for tours, tastings, and special events. Galena Cellars also offers
tasting rooms, wine patios and gift shops in
downtown Galena and Geneva, IL. v

Raise your glass, and let the adventure
begin!
For information on Galena and the surrounding area, please go to VisitGalena.org

The weekend officially kicks off at noon on
Friday, November 20 as the Nouveau is officially released with a toast. Many area restaurants celebrate by offering traditional
French stew and wine-inspired lunches.
At 2:30 p.m., the familiar clip clop of horse
hooves will be heard th