The Bold and the Brilliant
In 1395, The Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold, was so afraid of the Gamay grape that he banned it. That’s right: a Duke called “the Bold” feared a grape. But this was one of the best decisions in oenology history. He ordered Gamay vineyards to be torn out of Burgundy and banned from ever being planted there again so that it would not compete with Pinot Noir. Good decision.
Pinot Noir is one of my favorites but I feel like Gamay is the Rodney Dangerfield of the grape world, it gets no respect. For centuries, Gamay has struggled to be seen as a serious wine contender (except, in food-savvy Lyon). And I think it is surprising that a beverage so lightly regarded has become one of the world’s most popular wines, with more than 70 million bottles sold annually.
Philip the Bold was also Philip the Brilliant because over the last 600 years, it has become clear that while Gamay might not be suited to Burgundy, it is very much suited to the Beaujolais region. And while Gamay might not produce the world-class age-worthy wines that Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir are capable of, it still makes a juicy and tasty wine.
Gamay grows on the fast side – it is an early budding, flowering and ripening grape which means that although it can be sensitive to frost, it is also capable of ripening in cooler climates. This is one reason why you can find it grown in the Loire and also in Switzerland. Gamay tends to have a fairly crisp level of acid and aromas and flavors of fresh strawberries and raspberries. For drinkers looking for a red with fairly soft tannins, Gamay is a great red grape to try. In fact, if you are new to red wines, I recommend that you consider starting out with a red grape like Gamay.
Although Gamay is grown in several different regions, it is practically synonymous with the Beaujolais region. As the Oxford Companion to Wine points out, “no other wine region is so determinedly monocepagiste as Beaujolais…” meaning that no other wine region relies so heavily on just one single grape variety for all of the wines produced in that region. The wines of Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and the 10 crus of Beaujolais are all made from the Gamay grape.
I don’t know what the Dukes of Burgundy had against the Gamay grape because it turns out that 60 years later, Philip 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. We will maintain our reputation”.
Oh and if you are wondering why Philip was called “the Bold”, it has nothing to do with wine. Philip was the founder of the second and last ducal house of Burgundy, the fourth son of John II, King of France and for all of his courageous and bold actions in the Battle of Poitiers (1356); he won the nickname “The Bold”.
