How to Pair Gamay Wine: A Complete Guide to Gamay

Gamay, or Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, is a lighter-bodied, fruit-forward grape variety used to make red wine. Gamay originated in Burgundy, but was outlawed in the late fourteenth century by a duke who preferred the pinot noir in the region. Growers in Beaujolais, a wine region in the south of Burgundy, defied the duke’s orders and continued to quietly grow Gamay for generations. In 1937, the Beaujolais region became a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), resulting in a rise in popularity for Gamay wine.

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.

Gamay grown in California falls into a few different categories: Some, like “Napa Gamay,” have been identified as other grapes entirely (in this case, Valdiguié), while others have been determined to be clones of pinot noir. There are true Gamay grapes grown in the state, at higher altitudes with cooler overall temperatures—where Gamay thrives best.

Beaujolais nouveau—the most well-known example of the varietal—is an unaged wine released almost immediately following its November harvest. Traditionally, Beaujolais nouveau was a beverage made specifically for French vineyard workers and only available in local villages, but in recent years, the fresh first-batch wines have gained international cult appeal. A core group of winemakers in Beaujolais villages, or crus, continue to produce well-known and beloved expressions of the grape: Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié, Fleurie, Morgon, Chiroubles, Julienas, and Côte de Brouilly among them.

Wines produced from Gamay are fruity and light-bodied with relatively high acidity. The purple grape variety has a thin skin that is low in tannins—a substance that creates a drying, rubbing sensation on your tongue—making it less dry than tannic red wines like syrah and cabernet sauvignon.

Gamay is most often described as light and fruity, understood on a spectrum of bright fruits and more delicate aromas. Beaujolais wines featuring Gamay are commonly made using carbonic maceration—a winemaking technique in which whole grapes are fermented in a sealed tank filled with carbon dioxide. This lack of oxygen draws out certain flavor compounds known as phenols from the intact fruits, without introducing the high levels of tannins from crushed grape skins in other styles of fermentation. The result is a softer, fruitier wine, with an undercurrent of banana.

Typical tasting notes for a Gamay include:

• Red fruits like raspberry, sour cherry, currant, strawberry, cranberry.
• Purple flowers, like lilac and violet.
• A slight minerality, as seen in some Cru Beaujolais.

For a sommelier, Gamay is an easy and flexible dancing partner. Gamay’s mellow fruity flavors make it a rare red wine equally capable of pairing with delicate dishes like fish, and salty, caramelized foods like roasted poultry, and aged cheeses. Gamay is a good wine choice for Thanksgiving in particular: An echo of its strengths are already on the table with roasted turkey and cranberry sauce.

• Roast chicken: Salty, crackly roast chicken skin and savory pan juices meet a high, clarifying note of fruit, with just enough acidity to revive the palate.
• Charcuterie and rich, complex cheese: Both charcuterie and Gamay are good entry points for an evening: Gamay comes across as gentle and interesting while cutting right through all the cream and fat on the board.
• Grilled fish: The added hint of smoke and char on a grilled fish pulls out the deeper musky floral notes of some Gamays. The lighter-bodied wine won’t interrupt the nuances of the fish; it’s less aggressively tart than an Albariño or sauvignon blanc, and more defined than a Chardonnay.

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