On the third Thursday in November, wine retailers around the world proclaim it from their rooftops: Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!

Beaujolais Nouveau is a super-young version of regular Beaujolais, made from the Gamay grape in the Beaujolais region in southern Burgundy, France. It's harvested, made, bottled, and shipped as early as 7 weeks after fermentation. Because the Gamay grape makes wines already light in body, light in tannins, and meant to be drunk early, the Nouveau version is even lighter and fruitier. I've fallen for the Nouveau hype in years past, only to realize after the initial excitement has faded that it's more like drinking (expensive) juice than anything. Or I've accidentally let a bottle linger in my wine rack for too long, only to discover that above all, Nouveau must be drunk early.

Essentially, Beaujolais Nouveau is a very clever marketing gimmick, and I would rather support the quality efforts from the region than a bottle of overhype. This year, as the new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau rolls in, I'm going to drink some regular Beaujolais instead of the Nouveau. There are four status levels besides Nouveau: Beaujolais AC, the most generic; Beaujolais Superieur AC, a higher quality, Beaujolais-Villages AC; and the top quality Cru wines made from individual villages like Moulin-a-Vent and Fleurie. None are overly expensive; I got a couple of widely-available Beaujolais-Villages bottles for less than $12 last week.

Beaujolais is an extremely food-friendly wine, especially in the fall when you're simmering stews, braising meat, and turning to seasonal fare like squash and mushrooms. Tonight I'll make a simple Chicken Cacciatore and raise my glass of Beaujolais, celebrating the fact that it's a 2006 instead of a Nouveau.

Do you like Beaujolais Nouveau or think it's all hype?