The New Beaujolais has arrived!: Chief Election Commissioner Bhojraj Pokharel and the French Ambassador Gilles-Henry Garault in the “Beaujolais Day” party. Pic by Bikas Rauniar
15 November: I am not a wine connoisseur but the nearest thing that fascinates me after beautiful girls is a glass of wine. Did you believe that? Fine, don’t believe because I am just making that up (Or, believe at your own risk, what can I do?) as I am writing a blog about WINE and women. While I am typing these lines my status line on the IM says “2 glasses of WINE and I am DRUNK!!!!” One of my contacts on the IM screaming: “Just Stay Sane.” And the chattier creature thinks that it’s difficult to believe that I am drunk. (I am here in office waiting for the vehicle that will take me home at 11 PM along with night desk staffs at the paper. I don’t have motorbike or car so I have to rely on office vehicle to go home in late night.) Anyway, let me come to the point because I am sane enough to come to the point: It is 10:45 PM, I am just back to office from a wine party in the residence of the French Ambassador in Kathmandu hosted by ambassador Gilles-Henry Garault and Alliance Francaise.
The occasion? Dude, today is “Beaujolais Day” when French wine lovers around the world celebrate the first opening of the bottle of Beaujolais nouveau, a red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France. It is the most popular vin de primeur, (I don’t know what that means) fermented for just a few weeks then officially released for sale on the third Thursday of November, according an entry on that topic in Wikipedia. It’s a great marketing opportunity for that particular brand of French wine and, according to what I read on some web sties, the dutiful French government does its best to provide better environment so that the promotion kick off smoothly, efficiently and effectively. So the French envoy in our town, a handsome hunk in the Kathmandu diplomatic circle, decided to throw a cool party this evening for the purpose. Wine diplomacy? Perhaps yes.
I found out that it was a nice occasion for some members of the Kathmandu expatriate community to have a common glass of wine, forgive me, common place to come and meet new/old folks and have some chit chats. This French ambassador himself is new to town, he arrived here in October and probably needs some wine to know more people- both inside and outside the expatriate community- in the city. What about promoting the wine in Nepal? Man, ambassador Gilles-Henry Garault was successful. For the first time in my life, I drank two glasses of Beaujolais nouveau. I enjoyed a lot. I am planning to try more of other French wine, may be at Kilroys in Thamel or wherever I find. Perhaps I will find a new girlfriend in a glass of wine. Did you believe that? Well, again, do that at your own risk because the context today is wine, women are in my mind and I am drunk! I will come to this topic of two Ws of France in next blog but now the beginning of the show at the ambassador’s residence in Bishalnagar, Kathmandu.
There was this long long long queue in front of the main gate of house and it took Shekhar Kharel, the witty guy at the top of the City Post (Kathmandu Post) chain of command to conclude that the queue was for a glass of wine, after all. “Wine khana line?” was his question as he adjusted himself behind me. Then he said something immediately after that which I forget now but we roared into laughter. All those calm and (many of them appeared to be snobbish) khaires’ attention was pulled towards us. Or so I thought.
Next blogs from the same wine party:
1. Beaujolais Day in Nepal: Wine Talk With a French Teacher
2. French Ambassador’s Wine Party: The Dutch Guy With Helvetas
Related blog(s)
1. The Talk of Wine & GF [2005.11.21]
Dinesh Wagle on Nepali Society 