Gamay wine is the red you open when you want something that tastes of fresh fruit and stone at the same time: crunchy cherry, raspberry, a little violet, and acidity that makes you reach for the next glass. It is light enough to chill and rarely costs what its quality suggests. On this page you will find Gamay from the Beaujolais crus, the Loire, Burgundy, the Jura and beyond, all sold by specialist wine merchants.
What makes the Gamay grape worth getting to know
Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, black-skinned with white juice, and it is a natural cross of Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc first recorded near the village of Gamay, just south of Beaune. That Burgundian birth did not last. In 1395 Duke Philip the Bold banned it as a "very bad and disloyal plant" to make room for Pinot Noir. The ban pushed Gamay south onto the granite hills of Beaujolais, and that turned out to be the making of it.
Granite drains well and keeps yields in check, which gives Gamay the lift and mineral snap it is loved for. Tannins are soft, so most bottles drink well young, while a good cru from old vines rewards a few years in the cellar.
Beaujolais crus and the natural Gamay wine revival
Most of the world's Gamay grows in Beaujolais, and the ten crus in the north are where it is at its most interesting. Our Beaujolais wine collection covers the region in full, so here is the grape's side of the story. Much of the modern style traces back to Jules Chauvet, a négociant who championed wild-yeast fermentation, little sulfur and semi-carbonic maceration. Marcel Lapierre and Jean Foillard in Morgon took his ideas and ran with them, and their juicy, low-intervention Gamay became a template for natural wine far beyond France.
Both estates are on the shelves here: Lapierre's Morgon and Raisins Gaulois, and Foillard's Morgon Côte du Py, Corcelette and Fleurie. For the more structured end, try Thillardon's single-site Chénas, Michel Guignier's Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent, Jean-Marc Burgaud's Côte du Py, or the Moulin-à-Vent that Thibault Liger-Belair makes with a Burgundian's eye for terroir.
Gamay from the Loire, Burgundy, Jura and California
Gamay has never quite left Burgundy. Bourgogne Passetoutgrains must contain more than 30% Pinot Noir and at least 15% Gamay, and in the hands of Côte d'Or growers such as Emmanuel Rouget, Taupenot-Merme and Nicole Lamarche it becomes one of the best-value reds in Burgundy. Coteaux Bourguignons can be a pure Gamay or a blend.
Up the Loire, the Côte Roannaise is a small hillside appellation devoted to Gamay on old granite, where Domaine des Pothiers makes a peppery, mineral red. Elsewhere in the Loire Valley, Gamay turns up in bright, easy reds and in blends such as Domaine Ogereau's L'Enjouée. Domaine Pignier grows it in the Jura, and Domaine des Ardoisières works it into a Savoie red. In California, Arnot-Roberts found granite soils in the Sierra foothills of El Dorado that suit Gamay just as well as Beaujolais does.
Gamay wine questions we hear most often
What does Gamay wine taste like?
Red cherry, raspberry and cranberry, often with floral notes and a peppery edge. It is light to medium in body with fresh acidity and gentle tannins. Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent add darker fruit and more grip.
Is Gamay the same as Pinot Noir?
No, though they are related: Pinot Noir is one of Gamay's parents. Gamay is usually juicier and tends to cost less. If you like Pinot Noir, Gamay is the obvious next step.
Should Gamay be served chilled?
A light chill suits it. Around 13 to 15°C brings out the fruit, so give a young bottle twenty minutes in the fridge.
What food goes with Gamay?
Charcuterie, roast chicken, pork, salmon and mushroom dishes. Its acidity and low tannin make it an easy red for a mixed table.
Where is Gamay grown besides Beaujolais?
In the Loire, Burgundy blends, Savoie and the Jura, and increasingly in Oregon and California.