Beaujolais Festival Returns To Cary

Cary, NC — Bienvenue à Beaujolais! It’s fall, the leaves are turning and the sweaters are coming out of the closet. That can only mean one thing: It’s time to enjoy some good wine, tasty French hors d’ouevres, and shop at a silent auction as part of the eighth annual Beaujolais Festival hosted by The Sister Cities Association of Cary.

The Event

The event takes place on Friday, November 14 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at the Matthews House in Downtown Cary and includes beaujolais wine tasting accompanied by hors deuvres and a silent auction.

It’s not Beaujolais Nouveau!

Everyone hears ‘Beaujolais’ and automatically thinks its Beaujolais Nouveau, but there are 10 Beaujolais wines that are produced in different sub areas of the Beaujolais region in France, called ‘Crus’ that are aged in the traditional manner. Each has a unique flavor based on the location, soil, climate, etc. of the vineyard. These are the wines that you see on menus in France.

Triangle Wine Company will provide three Beaujolais cru wines plus a Beaujolais Blanc (white) wine for those who don’t care for red wines. The Wake Tech Culinary Arts Department, under the direction of Jeff Hadley, will pair the wines with a selection of heavy hors d’oeuvre with a French flavor.

These delicacies typically include an assortment of cheeses, cured meats terrines and patès–all made by the students. Many of the students just came back from their annual exchange with the culinary school in Le Touquet, so they have some great ideas for this year’s selection. La Farm Bakery is providing the bread to go with all of those tasty morsels.

A Silent Auction – Christmas Shopping Made Easy

A Silent Auction is a great way to do some early Christmas shopping for friends, family, or yourself. This year’s auction will include original artwork by local artists and items that have been donated by local Cary businesses including La Farm Bakery, Kenneth Neilson’s Cary Pottery, and The Fresh Market. The event will also include wines that made their way back to Cary from recent trips to France and Germany.

Our friends in Cary’s Sister City of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (Paris’ Beach) had such a great time when they visited us last year that they sent us home from our October visit to Le Touquet with some unique silent auction items that you won’t find in Cary.

Event Supports Sister Cities Programs

Proceeds from this year’s Beaujolais event will support the Sister Cities exchange programs with Cary’s four Sister Cities. Art exchanges and “people-to-people” exchanges are in the planning stages with several of the cities.

Tickets are still available and include a souvenir wine glass, tasting of the three Beaujolais wines, two glasses of wine at the “Wine bar,” a continuous supply of hors d’oeuvres and the chance to bid on items including the wines from France, a personal wine tasting, and gifts from Cary merchants at the Silent Auction.

Event Info

8th Annual Beaujolais Festival
Friday November 14, 2014, 6:30-9:30 pm
The Matthews House, 317 West Chatham Street, Downtown Cary
Tickets pricing: $40 in advance, $50 day of the event

Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.

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Story from community contributor Barbara Shepard, president of the Sister Cities Association of Cary.