View From The Glen

Friday, November 25, 2011

Carpe Diem

We interrupt this Book Meme to bring you...

Beaujolais Nouveau


These fruity french wines with the oh-so-captivating labels grace the stores for only a few short weeks, and should be drunk while young - within a few months! They are light, easy swilling wines, the kind to share on a casual Saturday evening.

I went out and bought some the other day. A couple are for a friend whose newly renovated house is just about ready for her to move in and I wanted to buy her the first wines for her shiny new kitchen wine rack. I bought extra so we could share a bottle while I'm there. Because more than anything, these wines are for friendship.

It could be that this is a construct of my own, this friendship thing, stemming from my days in Halifax where I was first introduced to Beaujolais Nouveau by an amazing woman who insisted on buying them every November. I went along with her because 1) they were bottles of wine; 2) that's what friends do; and 3) they were bottles of wine. But to her, they were more than wine, they were representative of her "seize the day" philosophy. We have to drink them while they are available, she would say. She also used to say, We should eat now, because you never know when the chance will come again.

Used to being the sad part. As it turned out, she was right. She died at 38 of cancer. And ever since then, I continue to buy the Beaujolais Nouveau. I don't love them that much, but they are metaphorical now, a symbol of friendship and of carpe diem. A reminder to me that we should eat, drink and be merry while we have the chance.

Slainte!

4 comments:

Bluestocking said...

How beautiful! I will never think of beaujolais the same again. So glad you have other people in your life to share this wonderful tradition with.

Bibliomama said...

Oh. Sad. And wise. Carpe winem.

Leanne Haines said...

Isn't amazing how people we love find a place in our hearts forever, whether they are here or not? She'll always be with you in so many ways. A lovely memorial, Denise.

Finola said...

So sad. What a lovey tradition to remember though. Slainte.