Gamay
is the primary grape of Beaujolais, one of the main red wine sub-regions of
Burgundy in France. Typically, wines made Gamay grapes express cherry,
strawberry, raspberry and violet characteristics on the nose. Food matches for
Gamay include Chicken Lyonnais and Pork Terrine in Europe, Roast Turkey with cranberry
sauce and Grilled Salmon in the Americas, and Beetroot Curry and Duck noodle
soup in Asia. Wines from Beaujolais are made entirely from 100% Gamay grapes
and range in price from $8 to $20.
Initially,
upon its arrival in Beaujolais, the Gamay grape received an unenthusiastic,
hesitant welcome. In fact, in the 14th century, the ruling Dukes of
Burgundy attempted to outlaw the grape variety out due to its unfamiliar taste
and texture. One such duke, Philip the Bold, eventually passed a decree stating
the grape could no longer be grown anywhere in the Burgundy region.
Nonetheless, despite its initial unpopularity and skepticism, Gamay vines
became popular with struggling winegrowers due to their larger fruit yields.
In
terms of growth and production, Gamay vines grow with moderate vigor in various
types of soil. The most productive Gamay yields tend to be found on vines
growing in granite and limestone soils. Because of its heavy crop load, crop
thinning is used to control the growth of the grape vines. This is a measure
taken in order to prevent excessively heavy crop loads from reducing the
quality of the grape itself.
Typically,
Gamay vines bud and flower early in the grape growing season. The grapes
themselves become ripe early to mid-growing season and take on a large,
oval-shape. In terms of appearance, Gamay grapes are typically light in color
with a blue-purple hue. Gamay grape skins are relatively thin, but tough,
skins. Due to their shape and the vigor of the vines, Gamay grapes tend to form
overall large clusters. This pattern makes the Gamay grape an easy variety to
pick by hand.
Wines
made from Gamay can be very fragrant, coming off very fruity and floral on the
nose. Gamay grapes, however, tend to lose these strong fruity, floral aromas
and flavor identity when blended with other grape varieties. As a result of
these negative effects from blending Gamay grapes with another variety, red
wines and roses from Beaujolais are typically produced from unblended Gamay.
In
terms of taste and consumption, Beaujolais wines made from Gamay have good acid
structures with very low tannins.
Accordingly, this makes Beaujolais wines better suited for early consumption
while the wine Is still young. Beaujolais wines can also be chilled before
serving in order to help bring out the complete fruitiness of the wines.
With
respect to the fruity aspect of the Gamay grape wines, the technique of
carbonic maceration is used to enhance the fruity quality of wines produced
from this grape. This process allows winemakers to ferment entire bunches of
Gamay grapes in highly controlled conditions. Ultimately, the winemaker’s goal
is to extract the desirable flavors without producing excessive tannins or
ruining the tannic structure of the wine. Once the process of carbonic
maceration is complete, the wines tend to be lighter in color and a give off a
much fruitier aroma.
While
some winemakers do use carbonic maceration to enhance the fruitiness of the
wines, traditional fermentation and barrel maturation is still used in the
production of Gamay wines. When winemakers pick the Gamay grapes before they
become overripe and keep the fermentation temperature cool, an ester called
isoamyl acetate forms and alters the aroma of the produced wine. This ester can
cause the wine to express distinct banana, candy, or bubblegum aromas of the
final product.
There
are three difficult quality levels of Beaujolais wines: Beaujolais,
Beaujolais-Villages, and Cru. The first, Beaujolais, is a basic Beaujolais.
This quality level accounts for the majority of production and comes in at a
low cost. The next level, Beaujolais-Villages is indicative of a quality of wine
coming from 35 specific villages in the Beaujolais region. These certain
villages consistently produce better quality wines and most Beaujolais-Villages
turn out to be a blend of wines from these select villages. This quality level
tends to be higher in price than the basic Beaujolais. The highest quality
level, Cru, is named for the village that produces this quality of Beaujolais.
Crus are the most expensive out of all three-quality levels. Crus are likely to
last longer and age better than Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages, which
normally are only best for one to three years. Additionally, Some Beaujolais
Crus from Gamay grapes planted in granite soils can express more dark raspberry
and black pepper characteristics than the other Beaujolais quality levels.
Today,
Beaujolais is the best-selling Burgundy in the United States. Gamay grapes have
also become popular in Canada due to its red-berry flavors and overall
fresh-tasting qualities. Additionally, Italy and New Zealand have begun to experiment
and produce a small number of wines from Gamay grapes.
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