As Thanksgiving gets closer and closer I'm seeing a lot of wine blogs put up their list of suggestions for Thanksgiving wines. (Don't worry, I am working on my own list._ The thing I've noticed about a lot of "wine people" is the tendency to look down on Beaujolais Nouveau in recent years. OK, perhaps there are other wines that are more exciting to serve at Thanksgiving dinner, but do we have to be so rough on it? Perhaps I'm just too sentimental but I am all for tradition and I always look forward to enjoying a glass. However, I have found an American counterpart that sounds really interesting - The Wollersheim Winery ruby Nouveau. This wine is made in Wisconsin from grapes grown in Wisconsin. The wine is described as "a fruity and dry grape wine with a brilliant ruby red color and fruit aromas reminiscent of raspberries."

From Wisconsin Ag Connection:

The nouveau tradition began in the Beaujolais region of France and specific winemaking techniques bring out the fresh flavors, creating a wine meant to be enjoyed very young. The third Thursday of November is the traditional release date, a release celebration wine lovers across the globe anticipate. Winemaker Philippe Coquard grew up in the Beaujolais region and uses the same unique winemaking methods for the Ruby Nouveau, Wisconsin's version of the Beaujolais nouveau wine.

If you are lucky enough to be near the Wollersheim Winery in Praire-du-lac, WI on November 17th, you'll have the opportunity to taste the 2007 vintage of The Ruby Nouveau. It is open to the public and they will be tasting the wine from 10 AM to 7 PM.

If you're looking for tradition with a twist, you might want to give the Ruby Nouveau a try.