ear after year, one hears the same question asked: What does it taste like? ear after year, one hears the same question asked: What does it taste like?
Red berries? Bananas? There can thus be no doubt that Beaujolais nouveau wines continue to enjoy mounting interest around the world. In Japan, Korea and the USA, the phenomenon is actually quite recent but of growing and the USA, the phenomenon is actually quite recent but of growing importance and deserving of mention. Beaujolais nouveau festivities in France itself date back only forty years to the mid-1960s. However, from what began as 15 000 hectolitres produced on some 22 000 hectares of land north of Lyon in the mid-1950s, production has mushroomed to an imposing 500 000 hectolitres, half of which is destined for export.

In the wake of this planetary infatuation, some 300 tonnes of Beaujolais nouveau transited through Vatry in November en route to the Japanese capital. This compares to the 2004 total of 115 tonnes—the equivalent of just over 90 000 bottles—shipped by way of Vatry to Japan. For the 2005 vintage, two Antonov 124s transported an initial 230 tonnes, which is to say some 187 440 bottles; a further 63 tonnes or 51 350 bottles subsequently departed on a third aircraft. Packed in cases of 12 bottles and placed on pallets weighing about 870 kg, Beaujolais nouveau must be stored in a cool location (15°C maximum) prior to dispatch by air to destinations worldwide. To ensure timely shipment of this precious commodity to Japan—one of the world’s key destinations for Beaujolais nouveau, freight forwarders use a number of airports across France, including Vatry which has earned a reputation for quick turnaround time and meticulous handling. Indeed, the staff at Vatry do their utmost to ensure that wine aficionados in Japan are able to indulge in a glass or two of Beaujolais nouveau by midnight on the third Thursday of November, just like their counterparts in bistros in Paris and elsewhere in France.
 
 
 
 
number of NGOs have mobilized efforts to come to aid of the famine-stricken people of western Niger in the region along the border with Burkina Faso and Mali. When the rains finally came after a period of severe drought which had stunted crop growth, thousands of desert locusts sprang to life and, in record time, laid waste to whatever crops the region’s inhabitants had succeeded in keeping alive. United Nations officials estimate that a quarter of the population of Niger—some 4 million individuals in all—currently suffers from malnutrition. In the face of this humanitarian crisis, the World Food Programme—with NGOs support—has appealed for donations from North America and Europe with a view to coming to the aid of the people of this distressed region as quickly as possible. As this large-scale relief effort continues, already several hundred tonnes of high-energy foodstuffs have transited through Vatry en route to Niamey, capital of Niger. In addition to the 400 tonnes expedited in July, three separate flights transporting a total of some 300 tonnes of food departed Vatry in early August for this African nation in need.
 
 
 
 
he first of the warehouse facilities provided for in the memorandum of understanding signed this past spring between GAZELEY, General Council of Marne and SEVE will be located on a 15.65 hectare parcel of land in Business Park 2. Before the building actually begins to take shape, secondary and tertiary roadways have to be laid out and each plot of land levelled. Upon exiting the motorway, one immediately notices the beehive of activity and the impressive quantities of earth being moved by a myriad of oversized machines. Indeed, as at month-end in August, general contractor Deschiron, the firm commissioned by SEM Europort Vatry to carry out the work, reported having excavated close to 2 million cubic metres of earth. In view of progress to date, all indicators point to the swift and timely completion of the tasks at hand.