Red Is the Color of the Season

It’s that time of year when you really should just be able to carry a giant tumbler of wine around with you everywhere you go. (Honestly, that time is between January 1 and December 31, but especially the holidays.) The magical elixir makes everything so much more bearable. Squeezing through desperate moms for Frozen merch just goes down so much easier with a nice red, doesn’t it? And watching cranberry ooze out of a can at your mother-in-law’s house is almost a pleasing little ritual when you’re brimming with tannins. So you’ll definitely want to treat yourself to this little pre-holiday ritual: the French-American Chamber of Commerce’s 31st Annual Beaujolais & Beyond Wine Festival is the happiest of places from 7 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Friday. Saunter through the Irving Convention Center, 500 West Las Colinas Blvd., with a commemorative glass in hand as you sample all of the fermented grapey goodness that the Beaujolais region of France offers. Tastings of wine from six other wine-rich regions of the Land of the Franks — plus libations from California, Washington and Texas — are also on the menu, as is an impressive array of food (both French and well, not French) and live music. Tickets are $65 online at faccdallas.com or $70 at the door.

Fri., Nov. 21, 7 p.m., 2014