As it turned out, this was my first bottle of wine for the New Year and after I chilled it down, it was a welcome relief to the searing weather that has been laying siege to Melburnians. Just to recap, red Beaujolais in all its varying quality levels - is made from the Gamay grape and the Beaujolais Villages in particular is meant to be drunk young as it offers bright, sweet fruit and thoughtless pleasure. This wine is 2006 vintage and is very enjoyable even at this late stage, despite what wine snobs and Beaujolais aficionados may say. I should add, I've grown accustomed to tuning out the French voices in my head muttering 'Sacre Bleu', a happy skill I urge everyone to learn. The wine had the trademark smells of petals and red fruits, and it also had some more savoury, almost gamey and woody flavours, which all fit nicely together and easily partnered our cold meat and salad dinner. This wine is available through BenandWine for $105 for a 6 pack or $190 per dozen.

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