Dress a man in a beret. Put him in front of a camera and roll out as many cliches as possible. Yes, folks it’s Beaujolais Nouveau time again!

Actually (whisper it) we think this feature is rather good.

$35,000!? And here's me thinking there's a world recession goin' on

This is a Wine Vault. A $35,000 Wine Vault to be precise.  

Looking like a prop straight out of Ocean’s 11, the manufacturer describes this as a “must for luxury homes”.

The stainless steel monolith features a Cellar Management System accessed through a flat screen display.  

But the best thing about this contraption is the following description at the heart of the companies press release:

The new GE Monogram Wine Vault is designed for the consumer who waits anxiously each November for the Beaujolais Nouveau to arrive, who knows a Syrah from a Pinot Noir or who simply wants the perfect addition to a luxury home.

Whoaaaa there horsey!!! At which point is a wine collector going to store Beaujolais Nouveau in a Wine Vault!! What next? Blue Nun? Black fugging Tower?!

The press release gives the game away. For people who know the value of nothing and the price of everything. And what exactly is a “luxury home”?

Oh, and it has Bar code labeling to assist with locating wine and removing it from inventory. Which is actually pretty cool. Maybe I’ll put a deposit down after all.

There have been times in my professional drinking career when a wine has tasted so good I have wanted to bathe in it. 

Well, at the Hakine Yunessun Spa in Japan you can do just that. The newly-opened Beaujolais Nouveau spa offers visitors the chance to bathe in the wine while they drink it.

Beaujolais Nouveau seems to be experiencing a real boom in Japan, with the population consuming nearly a quarter of the entire vintage (approx 11.5 million bottles).

“To us Beaujolais Nouveau means France, it allows us to experience a little bit of French culture,” said Akiko Yajima, a journalist with Nippon News Network.

“Also it is not too heavy. Japanese ladies are very comfortable drinking it.”