Restaurant Week Dinner Menu

Restaurant week begins February 17. Click here to view our Restaurant Week dinner menu (PDF).

Beaujolais Nouvea is November 17

View our Beaujolais Nouveau 2011 Prix fixe Menu

Domaine Albert Bichot Beaujolais Nouveau
$9 gl / $39 btl

Style

Beaujolais Nouveau is a purple-pink wine that is particularly lightweight, even by the standards of
Beaujolais. The method of production means that there is very little tannin, and the wine can be
dominated by fruity, ester flavours of bananas, figs and pear drops. These are enhanced by the frequent
recommendation to serve the wine lightly chilled, at approximately 13°C (55°F).

Beaujolais Nouveau is intended for immediate drinking, and in general should not be kept for more than a year.

Production

Beaujolais Nouveau is made from the Gamay grape. The grapes must come from the Beaujolais AOC,
but grapes from the ten “cru” appellations are excluded. By law, all grapes in the region must be harvested
by hand. This is because Beaujolais is made using carbonic maceration, whole berry fermentation which
emphasizes fruit flavors without extracting bitter tannins from the skins of the grapes. The wine is then
pasteurized to preserve the ‘fresh’ taste of the wine by preventing malolactic fermentation. The wine is
ready to be drunk just 6-8 weeks after the harvest.

Around 49 million liters of Beaujolais Nouveau are produced each year, making up nearly half of the
region’s total wine production. About half of this is exported, with Germany and Japan the biggest
markets, followed by the USA.

History

Beaujolais had always made a vin de l’année to celebrate the end of the harvest, but until WWII it was
only for local consumption. In fact, once the Beaujolais AOC was established in 1937, AOC rules meant
that Beaujolais wine could only be officially sold after the 15th December in the year of harvest. These
rules were relaxed in1951, and the Union Interprofessionnelle des Vins du Beaujolais (UIVB) formally set
the 15 November as the release date for what would henceforth be known as Beaujolais Nouveau.

A few members of the UIVB, notably the négociant Georges Duboeuf, saw the potential for marketing
Beaujolais Nouveau. Not only was it a way to clear lots of vin ordinaire at a good profit, but selling wine
within weeks of the harvest was great for cash flow. Hence the idea was born of a race to Paris carrying
the first bottles of the new vintage. This attracted a lot of media coverage, and by the 1970s had become
a national event. The races spread to neighbouring countries in Europe in the 1980s, followed by North
America, and in the 1990s to Asia. In 1985, the date was changed to the third Thursday in November to
take best advantage of marketing in the following weekend.

Bistrot Zinc’s Restaurant Week Menu Now Available

Our menu for Restaurant Week is now available here on our website. Click the link below to view a PDF of our menu.

For more information, visit the Restaurant Week website.

Bistrot Zinc’s Restaurant Week menu.

Valentine’s Day at Bistrot Zinc

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Click the link below for a PDF of our Valentine’s Day menu. Our Valentine’s Day menu is valid from this Friday, February 11, through Valentine’s Day, Monday, February 14.

View Bistrot Zinc’s Valentine’s Day menu.

Bistrot Zinc at Restaurant Week

Bistrot Zinc will be taking part in this year’s Chicago Restaurant Week, happening February 18-27, 2011.

We are also one of 15 restaurants selected to take part in the Chicago Restaurant Week Preview Party. The party will be held on Wednesday, February 2 at the Chicago Theatre. We will be serving Moroccan-spiced vegetable & chickpea stew with toasted almonds, served with cous cous.

To purchase tickets for the Chicago Restaurant Week Preview Party, click here.

To learn more about Chicago Restaurant Week, visit their website at here.