For the municipality in the Philippines, see Gamay, Northern Samar. Gamay is a municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines.

Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC Wine generally made of the Gamay Grape which has a thin Loire ( Arpitan: Lêre, Occitan: Léger) is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the Tours is a city in France the Préfecture (capital city of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river ^[1] Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned already in the 1400s. A cultivar is a cultivated Plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics it is usually distinct from similar It has been often cultivated because it makes for abundant production rather than due to the quality of the wine made from it, but makes wines of distinction when planted on acidic soils which help to soften the grape's naturally high acidity. ^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 Characteristics 3 Regional production 4 References

History

The Gamay grape is thought to have appeared first in the village of the Gamay, south of Beaune, in the 1360s. Beaune is a commune in eastern France, a Sub-prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department in the Bourgogne region ^[3] The grape brought relief to the village growers following the decline of the Black Death. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia In contrast to the Pinot Noir variety, Gamay ripened two weeks earlier and was less difficult to cultivate. Pinot noir ('pino nwar is a red Wine Grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. It also produced a strong, fruitier wine in a much larger abundance.

In July 1395, the Duke of Burgundy Philippe the Bold outlawed the cultivation of the grape referring to it as the "disloyal Gaamez" that in spite of its ability to grow in abundance was full of "very great and horrible harshness",^[4] due in part to the variety's occupation of land that could be used for the more "elegant" Pinot Noir. Philip the Bold (Philippe le Hardi also Philip II Duke of Burgundy ( January 15, 1342, Pontoise &ndash April 27, 1404 60 years later, Philippe the Good, issued another edict against Gamay in which he stated the reasoning for the ban is that "The Dukes of Burgundy are known as the lords of the best wines in Christendom. Philip the Good (Philippe le Bon also Philip III Duke of Burgundy ( July 31, 1396 &ndash June 15, 1467) was Duke of Burgundy We will maintain our reputation". ^[5]

Characteristics

Gamay is a very vigorous vine which tends not to root very deep on alkaline soils resulting in pronounced hydrological stress on the vines over the growing season with a correspondingly high level of acidity in the grapes. The resulting acidity requires carbonic maceration to soften the wine sufficiently for pleasant drinking.

Gamay-based wines are typically light bodied and fruity. Wines meant for immediate consumption are typically made using carbonic maceration which gives the wines tropical flavors and aromas - reminiscent of bananas. Wines meant to be drunk after some modest aging tend to have more body and are produced by whole-berry maceration. The latter are produced mostly in the designated Crus areas of northern Beaujolais where the wines typically have the flavor of sour cherries, black pepper, dried berry and raisined blackcurrant. ^[6]

Regional production

In addition to being well suited to the terroir of Beaujolais,^[4] Gamay is also grown extensively in the Loire Valley around Tours where it is typically blended with Cabernet Franc and Côt a local clone of the Malbec. Terroir (/t̪εʁwaʁ/ in French (terruño pago was originally a French term in Wine, Coffee and Tea used to denote the special characteristics Loire ( Arpitan: Lêre, Occitan: Léger) is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the Tours is a city in France the Préfecture (capital city of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river Cabernet Franc is one of the major varieties of red Wine Grape in Bordeaux Malbec is a variety of Grape used in making Red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark colour and robust Tannins Long known as one of the Malbec is a variety of Grape used in making Red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark colour and robust Tannins Long known as one of the These wines are similar to those of Crus Beaujolais but with raspberry notes and the signature fresh-peppery nose of the Cabernet Franc.

Gamay is also the grape of the Beaujolais Nouveau, produced exclusively from the more alkaline soils of Southern Beaujolais where the grape is incapable of making drinkable wines without aggressive carbonic maceration. ^[7] The acid levels of the grape grown in the limestone Pierres Doreés of the South are too high for making wines with any appeal beyond the early release Nouveaus.

Confusingly, the Gamay name has become attached to other varieties grown in California, which at one time were thought to be the true Gamay. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The grape 'Napa Gamay' is now known to be Valdeguié, and the name Napa Gamay will no longer appear on labels after 2007. Valdiguié is a red Wine Grape grown primarily in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, where it is generally known by the alias Gamay Beaujolais is considered to be an early ripening Californian clone of Pinot Noir. Gamay Beaujolais is a varietal designation for a Californian Grape variety that is an early ripening clone of Pinot noir. Despite similar names the grapes Gamay du Rhône and Gamay St-Laurent are not the Beaujolais grape either but rather the southwestern France grape Abouriou. Abouriou is a red Wine Grape grown primarily in South West France and in small quantities in California. ^[8]

Gamay Noir is a permitted synonym for Gamay in the U. S.

Gamay is commonly grown in the Niagara Peninsula in Canada, some producers being in the Short Hills Bench, Beamsville Bench and St. The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Ontario, Canada lying on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The Short Hills Bench sub-appellation of the Niagara Peninsula ( St David's Bench to mention a few. One producer and even has a regional clone which they discovered, Gamay Droit, which is a recognized mutation. It is also grown successfully by a small number of wineries in Australia to make a range of wines including light bodied red wines suitable for early drinking. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

Gamay has also been introduced recently into Oregon's Willamette Valley wine region, known for its wines made from Pinot Noir another Burgundian grape. Pinot noir ('pino nwar is a red Wine Grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. It was introduced by Amity Vineyards in 1988. ^[9] Tasting notes published by the vineyards at Amity, WillaKenzie and Brickhouse describe wines that match the basic profiles of Crus Beaujolais. ^[10]

References

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