Given that your goal is to keep price tags under $30, you can imagine how exciting it is to try the highest quality of a region for $25. Can’t find a wine? Initially, Beaujolais wines were popular in the regional markets of Southern France. The gamay grape, an ancient natural clone of pinot noir, is often associated with the lighter-bodied, fruity wines from the French appellation of Beaujolais. From the 7th century through the Middle Ages, most of the viticulture and winemaking was done by the Benedictine monks. Beaujolais. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. Throughout the northern part of France’s Beaujolais region, 38 villages have been recognized for producing wines superior to those of the larger Beaujolais region. The 10 designated cru appellations represent the cream of the Gamay crop, and Château de Pierreux does a standup job representing the southernmost Beaujolais Cru of Brouilly. In the 10th century, the region got its name from the town of Beaujeu, Rhôneand was ruled by the Lords of Beaujeu … And not just in Beaujolais, but the many places throughout eastern and central France where it grew with abandon over a century ago. On The Palate: Very similar to the nose, with a big helping of red fruit and potting soil. The picturesque Beaujolais vineyards run along the Saône River, where winemakers have crafted deliciously … The region of Beaujolais was first cultivated by the Romans who planted the areas along its trading route up the Saône valley. Have you ever wondered what fresh earth in your face actually smells like? To get a real sense of the quality and character of French Gamay, we chose a Cru from Chiroubles, where some of the best Beaujolais in the country is made. In 1395, the duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold, exiled the grape from its Burgundy home, calling Gamay a “disloyal plant,” demanding it be “destroyed and reduced to nothing.” Cultivation moved south and took hold in Beaujolais. However, unlike many of those regions, even the best Beaujolais is affordable if you know what to look for. Photo about Vine of gamay in Beaujolais land during a sunny day in France. It’s nice to try the best that a region has to offer without feeling like the industry has swindled you. [1], The US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) subsequently discouraged the use of the term "Gamay Beaujolais" and ruled that, from 1997, it could only be used as a secondary designation on wines made from more than 75% Pinot noir or Valdiguié. But this particular bottle offered a great chance to see how much complexity it can possess. And it did not disappoint. From Regional Southern France to the international wine market. Foodwise it pairs with much the same ingredients and dishes as pinot noir though gamay (the grape Beaujolais is made from) doesn’t have the best pinots' complexity or silky, sensuous texture. Side Note: garnet is an odd color for Beaujolais which could suggest oxidation (they’re usually a more ruby-purple color), but the wine tasted okay, so we rolled with it! Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. In the late 1960s, UCD scientists decided that Gamay Beaujolais was a clonal selection of Pinot noir, and that California's version of the true Gamay was in fact the Napa Gamay. Historically, before the phylloxera epidemic, the variety was widespread in France and is estimated to have covered over 160,000 hectares. In the late 1930s, an early pioneer of the American viticulture, Paul Masson, brought with him several Burgundian grapes for his winery in California. The challenge is a way to improve your wine palate each week with 34 wines from 12 countries — The Wine Tasting Challenge. Look: Deep Garnet. You’ll learn that even the highest quality wine of a region can balance complexity with accessibility and fun. It was like eating a fruit tree from the top down: first, lots of fruit, then onward to some herbaceousness, and finally a slightly dirty soil quality. As well, one will find Italian Gamay in the Valle d’Aosta, a mountainous region bordering France. Like all of France’s most well-respected wine regions, Beaujolais is divided into classes of quality. Learn more about Gamay wine, what it tastes like as well as some of our favorite food pairings! The range of styles and quality is enormous. Beaujolais Villages Gamay (Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc in full) is a grape variety that is most famous for producing the light, fruit-driven red wines of Beaujolais. *Vintage may vary by location* This crisp, fruit-forward, juicy wine has expressive aromas and flavors of ripe red berries with a nice medium body. However, unlike many of those regions, even the best Beaujolais is affordable if you know what to look for. Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages 750 ml. The wines from the Beaujolais region can be broadly classified in 3 groups. The most noticeable Roman vineyard was Brulliacus located on the hillside of Mont Brouilly. What We Learned About Beaujolais. Are there other aromas you’re trying to figure out? What is the Tasting Challenge? The Beaujolais region is located in the center-east of France, north of Lyon, France’s gastronomic capital. Arnot Roberts Gamay Noir El Dorado 2017 (El Dorado, California) Out of Stock. Co-op Chiroubles, Beaujolais, France 2019 (£10, The Co-op) ... each with a slightly different take on the combination of gamay grape and granitic soils. Outside of France, Gamay has a tiny but devoted following. Premium Wine & Spirits 7980 Transit Road, Williamsville, NY 14221 Call Us: 716-565-3020 Since April 2007, the term "Gamay Beaujolais" has been banned from labels in the United States. It is believed to have arrived in the Beaujolais village of Gamay, from Germany, in the middle of the 14 th century. The Romans also planted vineyards in the area around Morgon. And why not? Limited number available. Road of Beaujolais sign on a wall, France . Image of geopark, natural, landscape - 162784459 Challenge your palate this week with France’s best-known Gamay-based wine: Beaujolais. Gamay is a black grape variety that typically produces dry and red fruit forward red wine. (Beaujolais, France) ... Groseille Rouge VdF 2018 (Loire Valley, France) Out of Stock. Leave your notes below or post on social media with #34Wines34Weeks for a chance to get featured. The picturesque Beaujolais vineyards run along the Saône River, where winemakers have crafted deliciously supple and fruity wines since the days of Ancient Rome. Gamay (ga-MAY), or to give it its full French name Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, is synonymous with the Beaujolais wine region, just north of Lyon in eastern France. One of those grapes he believed to be the Gamay variety from the Beaujolais region in France, which in the 1940s University of California at Davis (UCD) researchers christened "Gamay Beaujolais".[1]. Barrels of this season’s vintage, a red wine made from Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais region, were rolled through the streets of Lyon in a traditional torchlit procession. Delightfully playful, yet at its best capable of impressive gravitas, Gamay is responsible for juicy, berry-packed wines from Beaujolais and parts of the Loire.The variety is also widely planted in Savoie, Valle d'Aosta and Switzerland.Gamay has recently found success on a small but growing scale in Oregon.. Tasting Notes for Gamay Their wines are entitled to the Beaujolais-Villages appellation. From the seventh century to the middle ages, Benedictine monks took care of winemaking in Beaujolais and Gamay vineyards. Directly south of their more famous cousin, the Beaujolais region is an extension of Burgundy. There’s something about the bright, fruity character of Beaujolais that inspires you to eat, drink, and be merry. Administratively, Beaujolais is a district of the Burgundy region, but the red wine of Beaujolais is […] " Cru Beaujolais wines, made from Gamay grapes grown in the finest vineyards of France’s Beaujolais region, are often masters of disguise, fooling even the best sommeliers into thinking they are actually Pinot Noir wines. Discover the diversity of the Beaujolais vineyards Located north of Lyon in eastern France, Beaujolais overlaps Burgundy in the north and Rhône in the south. Check out our Wine Aroma Charts and give names to those elusive scents! This is a harvest celebration so the wine is young. Nowadays, half of the 30,000 hectares of gamay planted worldwide are in the Beaujolais region, where it covers 98% of the areas that produce Beaujolais wine. It is most well known as being the signature grape variety grown within the Beaujolais region of France. Beaujolais Blanc, the region’s rarely seen white wine, is made from chardonnay or aligoté grapes. The Romans were the first to cultivate the Beaujolais wine region. Getty. A fruity, floral and sometimes earthy light-bodied red that is the main variety planted in Beaujolais. [1][2], For the Southwest France wine grape that is also known as Gamay Beaujolais, see, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) (1997), ATF-388, Gamay Beaujolais Wine Designation (92F–042P), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gamay_Beaujolais&oldid=989674137, Articles with dead external links from January 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 November 2020, at 10:43. There isn’t a wine grape in France that’s had a tougher go of it than Gamay Noir. It is named after the Gamay grape from Beaujolais. The Gamay grape is primarily grown throughout the Beaujolais region and the Loire Valley in France, the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and the Niagara Peninsula in Canada. Salmon (depending on the sauce it’s served with), and darker fowl like roasted duck. Gamay | This variety is originally from Bourgogne (Burgundy). Over mainly granite terrain, the Beaujolais Crus form a meandering path. Directly south of their more famous cousin, the Beaujolais region is an extension of Burgundy. Moreover, Masson's Napa Gamay was found to not be a Gamay at all, but the Valdiguié grape from Languedoc-Roussillon. Potting soil might seem like an odd thing to appreciate in your wine glass, but for anyone who has dug up their back garden on a mild summer day and fallen in love with the fresh, earthy aroma filling your senses, this wine is for you. Fermentation takes only a few weeks. Every year on the third Thursday of November Beaujolais Nouveau is marketed and celebrated around the world. While gamay is now made all over the world, France remains both its homeland and the place where it’s being embraced anew. Try it lightly chilled - glorious! You don’t have to try exactly the same wine, so if you’re looking for alternatives to keep your challenge rolling, you can search options at Wine Access. Gamay, nearly the only grape grown in France’s Beaujolais region, makes wines that embody everything that region is known for: light, fruity, easy-to-drink reds, ideal for a party or a picnic. A beautiful label for a beautiful wine! Beaujolais, France. Chiroubles is one of the top communes for Beaujolais and this silky 100% Gamay is bursting with fresh red cherry fruit. Beaujolais wine is the product of the Beaujolais region of France and the red Gamay grape variety. I throw words at the walls of Wine Folly’s channels until something sticks, like a fistful of verbal spaghetti. Our largest wine maps ever are back! Food Pairing: Would go really well with some sweet, tangy BBQ wings. Like all of France’s most well-respected wine regions, Beaujolais is divided into classes of quality. Gamay Beaujolais is a varietal designation for a Californian grape variety, an early ripening clone of Pinot noir. Aromas: Macerated strawberries, tilled soil, crushed granite, violets, pomegranate, brown sugar. Red Beaujolais wine is made from the gamay noir grape. The Beaujolais region is unique among French wine regions because it makes wines that are happy to please without trying to impress. By far the most famous Gamay comes from the Beaujolais region of France. Beaujolais sits just below Burgundy and above the Rhône Valley. Gamay (Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc in full) is a grape variety that is most famous for producing the light, fruit-driven red wines of Beaujolais.While the variety offers fresh, red-fruit and candied aromas, it typically delivers little in the way of flavor concentration and body weight, giving light, simple wines. Origin: Beaujolais, France Varietals: 100% Gamay Sustainability: Sustainable practices Suggested retail price: $13.49 ABV: 13% Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2020 is mainly sourced from the southern part of the Beaujolais region, which is a patchwork of soil types ranging from sand to granite and schist. Did you try a different wine? In the late 1930s, an early pioneer of the American viticulture, Paul Masson, brought with him several Burgundian grapes for his winery in California. The region is crippled by the low prices Gamay brings, which is a shame. Timo Mayer Gamay 2018 (Victoria, Australia) 2,800 THB Based on published genetic analyses, it would be the result of a crossbreeding between Pinot noir and Gouais blanc. | There is no officially recognized synonym in France nor in the other countries of the European Union, for this variety. I also write plays, jokes, and the occasional diatribe. 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