Not all wines are made for aging. In fact, a variety of fresh, fruity wines from France's Beaujolais region are harvested immediately after fermentation for the sole purpose of being imbibed in the fall and winter months. Traditionally, Beaujolais Nouveau wines are released on the third Thursday of November, a day that triggers a flurry of related wine tastings and parties, including two fundraisers hosted by local visual arts institutions Museum of Fine Arts and Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art.
Museum of Fine Art's young professionals group — the Contemporaries — host a Thursday evening fundraiser at which guests can nibble tasty appetizers courtesy of Redwoods, Café Alma and Le Cote Basque; make silent auction bids; sample Beaujolais Nouveau 2006 wines and tour the museum (sans food and drink, of course).
On Friday, Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art presents "Party with Picasso," a Beaujolais Nouveau 2006 wine tasting that features live entertainment and tours of the museum's new exhibit, Picasso Ceramics from the Bernie Bercuson Collection from the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale.
Contemporaries, Thu., Nov. 16, 7:30-10 p.m., $15 general/$10 members, 255 Beach Drive N.E., St. Petersburg, 727-388-9687, contemporaries.fine-arts.org; Party with Picasso, Fri., Nov. 17, 6:30-9 p.m., SPC-Tarpon Springs, 600 Klosterman Road, Palm Harbor, $25 general/$25 members, 727-712-5222.
This article appears in Nov 15-21, 2006.