Gamay is particularly widespread in the Touraine wine region where it is often vinified as a single grape variety … as it is done for Beaujolais wines. It then produces fruity wines, with a beautiful red color and low tannins. In Touraine, Gamay is also used in blends with Cabernet (Franc or Sauvignon) and Côt (better known as Malbec). In addition to red wines, Gamay also gives fruity and elegant rosé wines, the major production of which is in Anjou. Although Gamay is a world famous grape variety, it is hardly ever planted outside of France. Another French exception!
The various historical sources place the origin of the Gamay grape variety in the small village of Gamay in Burgundy. In the Middle Ages, the cultivation of Gamay outpaced that of Pinot Noir, because of higher yields. But that was to the detriment of quality : in the second half of the 14th century, Philippe le Hardi, Duke of Burgundy, ordered the uprooting of all the Gamay vines in Burgundy. The uprooting stopped at the limits of the Beaujolais wine region where he continues to produce the majority of its red wines today.
