Gamay wines come from the Gamay grape harvested in the Beaujolias region of France. This grape is purple in color and is used to make red wines and when grown in acidic soil, the acid in the soil helps to soften the natural acidity of the grape.
In addition to the grapes grown in Beaujolais, these grapes are also grown in a few vineyards in Ontario, California and New Zealand. One of the distinct features of wines made from Gamay grapes is its fruity flavor, scent, and strong likeness to Pinot Noir (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Pinot%20Noir). When you smell this wine, you will get the scent of cherries, pears, bananas and oddly enough bubblegum. It also has a hint of wood in the scent because it is aged in oak casks.
Gamay wines are best if consumed within two years after it has been bottled. This is not a wine that gets better with age. However, this is not a well known wine largely due to the fact that the grapes were outlawed from French vineyards in the late 14th century by Philippe, the Duke of Burgundy. There are different varieties of this wine, which include:
• 2006 Beaujolais produced by Domaine des Coteaux de Cruix. This wine is 13% acidic and will keep for longer than two years when bottled. It is distinctive in that it has a slight taste of pepper and is one of the best wines you can use for marinating steaks, much like Zinfandel (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Zinfandel). It is also a good wine to have with a steak dinner.
• 2006 Morgon produced by Domaine Louis Claude Desvignes. This wine is known for its pizazz loaded with the flavors of black fruit.
• 2006 California Napa Gamay Rouge. This wine is bursting with the flavor of strawberries and is a unique summer wine. You can sit back and enjoy a glass of wine as you dine on any foods popular during the summer. It goes well with cheese, fruit, sandwiches and salads, so you can basically serve this wine at any event throughout the year. This wine is only available at the winery, where it is sold direct to customers.
• 2007 Laboure-roi Beaujolais Nouveau. Direct from the Burgundy region of France, this Gamay wine is spicy and tangy. The fruity scent and taste is evident as soon as you open the bottle.
Even though Gamay wines are red wines, they do not have the deep red color that is usually associated with this type of wine. Rather, it has a purple hue about it and there are many rose and sparkling wines made from the Gamay grape as well. It is mainly a drinking wine on its own, but you can mix it with other wines. You will notice that it does turn other red wines a very delightful shade of pink.
Even though there are Beaujolais wines produced in other countries of the world, the true wine from the Gamay grape comes from France. Wines with this name that come from California are actually made from Pinot Noir grapes. The wineries of the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, are the closest to the Gamay wines of France and are called the Gamay Droit. There are also wineries in Oregon in the Willamette Wine Region that harvest a form of this grape for use in making wines.
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