Learn English with the News: “Parisians Celebrate their Wine”

Hello ABA friends!

So, you’re ready to watch the news in English? That’s great!

Today you will watch learn about a French tradition about celebrating their famous Beaujolais Nouveau wine.

1. First read the text
2. Understand the vocabulary
3. Watch the video

Text

“It is a 60-year tradition, celebrated on the third Thursday of November. Parisians gather at bars and bistros, over lunch, to uncork the year’s Beaujolais Nouveau vintage. The owner of one bistro gave it his seal of approval.

– It has a good wine taste with a touch of raspberry in the after taste, I can confirm it, it’s fabulous. A good 2011 vintage, a good season, a good Beaujolais, it’s normal, everything good, nothing to fear, cheers ladies and gentlemen!

The nearly perfect weather conditions in France this year have turned the Beaujolais into a rounder, less acidic wine than in year’s past, according to wine merchant Herve.

– It is very fruity, it’s a bit more mature because the harvest happened three weeks early so it has had time to open up and to develop well so it is less acidic than usual, it is rounder more enjoyable to drink.

A survey by the French magazine “LSA” reports that 60 percent of the French intend to celebrate the wine’s release. And the rest of the world will get to enjoy it too. After its official release in France, the wine will be exported to German, Japan, and the United States.”

Vocabulary

Gather – to bring (things or people) together into a group.
Example: “At Christmas, all my family gathers at my grandmother’s house to celebrate”

Bistros – a small restaurant or bar.
Example: “Her favourite bistro is the one with a terrace outside”

Uncork – to remove a cork from (a bottle).
Example: “Let’s uncork the champagne tonight!”

Seal of approval – an action or statement that shows approval or official acceptance.
Example: “She gave me her seal of approval when I said I was going back to university”

Cheers – used as a toast to wish everyone happiness.
Example: “Thank you for coming to my party, let’s enjoy! Cheers!”

According to – as stated, reported, or recorded by (someone or something).
Example: “According to the weather report, it will snow all winter”

Merchant – someone who buys and sells goods especially in large amounts.
Example: “Merchants travel all over the country buying their products”

Harvest – the season when crops are gathered from the fields or the activity of gathering crops.
Example: “We had an enormous harvest of corn last year”

Survey – an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something.
Example: “The survey said that only 55% of people were happy at work”

Release – to make (something) available to the public.
Example: “The band’s new CD was released in Spain”