Smell, Swish, Spit

Bonjour Beaujolais:  24th Annual Wine Festival to Uncork 2007 Vintage at World Trade Center

Edited by Madelyn Miller, The TravelLady

An estimated 2,000 wine lovers will be among the first to toast and taste the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau at the 24th Annual Beaujolais Wine Festival.

Organized by the French-American Chamber of Commerce Dallas/Fort Worth (FACC), the festival will be held on Friday, November 16 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the World Trade Center. Master of Ceremonies will be Troy Dungan, Former WFAA-TV/Channel 8's Senior Weather Forecaster and wine enthusiast. Guests will be treated to a little French savoir-faire and a lot of Texas hospitality, complete with gourmet food displays, a silent auction, and a live band.

By French law, Beaujolais Nouveau-a light and fruity red wine known for its history and flavor-is only released from wineries at the stroke of midnight on the third Thursday of every November. In France this starts a "fête populaire" in the streets of French villages and in the heart of Paris. The Dallas/Fort Worth FACC has made special arrangements to have the first cases flown in from France in time to celebrate simultaneously with the rest of the world.

Some of this year's festival Gourmet Food Sponsors are: Blue Mesa Grill, Chic From Barcelona, Conti Gourmet Coffee, Dakota's Steakhouse, Empire Bakery, Hector's on Henderson, Kitchen 1924, Hotel St. Germain, La Duni Latin Cafe, Lavendou Bistro Provencal, Maggiano's Little Italy, Maguire's, Mozzarella Company, Olea Mediterranean Bistro, Paciugo Gelato & Caffe, Salum Restaurant, Sambuca's, Terilli's Restaurant, Voila! French Bakery-Bistro-Cafe, and more...

The Sommelier Sponsor is: Air Liquide Electronics U.S. LP Patron Sponsors are: Air France; BNP Paribas; Calyon CIB; Capstone Underwriters, Inc., Continental Airlines; Essilor of America, Inc.; Haynes and Boone, LLP; Rexel, Inc. Villages Sponsors: Accor North America; Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, P.C.;  Jackson Walker, L.L.P.; Turbomeca USA; Nouveau Sponsors: DFW Audi; Dallas International School; Frost Bank; The Honorable Arlette Douffiagues-Galland; Michael A. Burns & Associates, Inc.; and Richland College.

Tickets are $55 per person, parties of 10 or more are $50 each, tickets at the door $60 each and can be purchased by MC/Visa, Amex, DinersClub, Discover, cash or check through the local FACC. Call 972-241-0111 to order tickets or register online at www.faccdallas.com. Checks can be mailed to 2665 Villa Creek Dr., Suite 214, Dallas, TX  75234.  Every ticket holder will receive a commemorative wine glass to imitate the smelling, swishing, and spitting process known as "degustation."

About The French-American Chamber of Commerce

The French-American Chamber of Commerce is a bi-national, non-profit commercial service organization committed to the development and improvement of economic, commercial and financial relations between France and the United States. The Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the FACC serves as the area's principal forum for French and American business leaders to meet and discuss common interests. Web site: www.faccdallas.com

GREAT GUIDEBOOKS

SIXTY MILLION FRENCHMEN CAN’T BE WRONG
Why we love France but not the French
By Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Jullie Barlow
Source Books, Inc.
www.sourcebooks.com

AA FRANCE TRAVELBOOK
www.aaa.com
1-877-AAA-BOOK

EYEWITNESS GUIDE TO FRANCE
DORLING KINDERSLEY
www.dk.com

FROMMERS FRANCE 2002
By Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince
www.frommers.com

CHATEAUX  & HOTELS DE FRANCE
532 Chateaux, Hotels and Restaurants
info@chateauxhotels.com

Romantik 2006
Romantik Hotels and Restaurants
info@ROMANTIKHOTELS.com
www.romantikhotels.com

How to Pronounce French, German and Italian Wine Names
By Dianna Bellucci
They also include a bonus of Austrian, Spanish and Portugese Wine Names
Luminosa Publishing
www.howtopronounce.com

Hello France
By Margo Classe
Wilson Publishing
www.helloeurope.com

HIDE THIS FRENCH BOOK
The book’s cover warns: Highly inflammatory text inside, do not open near French teachers, not for classroom  use. Suitable only for those who want to know the Real French.
Bertliz
www.Berlitzbooks.com/hidethisbook.htm

COOKBOOK THAT CAPTURES THE FLAVOR OF FRANCE

CARLOS
By Debbie and Carlos  Nieto
With Arlene Michlin Bronstein and Ken Bookman
Gibbs Smith, Publishers
www.Gibbssmith.com

TO GET A TASTE OF FRANCE AT HOME

Cooking at Home on Rue Tatin
By Susan Herman Loomis
William Morrow Cookbooks
www.harpercollins.com

MUSIC TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE IN FRANCE

French Café
From Putumayo World Music
www.putumayo.org
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this CD will be contributed to the non-profit Putumayo Cross-Cultural initiative www.putumayo.org

Rumba Flamenco
The Passion of flamenco and Latin rhythms unite to create a sensual and soulful musical fusion which originated in the Catalan region of northeastern Spain and southwestern France.
www.putumayo.com

French Playground
From Putumayo World Music
www.putumayo.org

BACKGROUND READING TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD

Weekend in Paris
By Robyn Sisman
Plume Book
www.penguin.com

HOW TO SPEAK LIKE A FRENCH PERSON
Eyewitness Travel
15-Minute French
A complete Course with book and two 60 minute CD’s. This will help you order a meal, book a room, buy a ticket, ask directions, and even make conversation
DK Publishing
www.dk.com

IF YOU DON’T SPEAK FRENCH

The Franklin EuroInterpreter is the easiest way to communicate. It has over 400,000 words and phrases in 12 languages. It has a calculator with currency and units of measurement converter.
www.franklin.com

HOW TO LOOK LIKE A FRENCH PERSON

The French Diet: Secrets of why French Women Don’t get Fat
By Michel Montignac
DK Publishing
www.dk.com

FUN FRANCE FACTS

More tourists visit France each year than any other country in the world, with 67 million annual tourist arrivals (more than the country's population

FRANCE FOOD FACTS
Wine has been made in France since Roman times
France is the world's first producer of wine and liquors
There are over 300 kinds of cheese made in France