French grapes around the world: Spotlight on Niagara gamay #winophiles

This month, the French Winophiles are exploring French grapes grown around the world. To keep it local, I am focusing on glorious gamay from Niagara, Ontario!

Gamay’s history

According to the records, Gamay noir à jus blanc (black-skinned grape with white juice) first made an appearance in the 1360s, in the village of Gamay, south of Beaune in the Bourgogne region.

Historically, gamay had a bit of a rough go in Bourgogne, particularly after Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, banned the grape in a 1395 edict, simply because he didn’t like it. This was much to the irritation of Burgundian grape growers, who were left with pinot noir—a grape deemed “more elegant” by the Duke, yet known among growers as “the heartbreak grape” due to its being notoriously difficulty to cultivate. Funnily enough, gamay and pinot noir are genetically cousins.

Some sneaky grape growers managed to escape notice and were growing gamay further south in the Beaujolais region, where it would eventually become the signature grape.

Fast forward to the mid-20th century: Beaujolais gamays started being released young and in a simple, fruity, easy-drinking style to celebrate the end of harvest. In 1985, the third Thursday of November was decreed Beaujolais Nouveau day. This became a genius marketing strategy garnering huge international demand, which in turn led to an increase in production, though not necessarily in quality. Although it appealed to the masses, Beaujolais subsequently fell from grace. It would take decades for its reputation to recover.

Niagara’s underdog grape

Meanwhile, gamay started being planted in an up-and-coming Canadian wine region previously only known internationally for its eponymous falls: Niagara.

Paul Bosc Sr., a Viticulture and Oenology graduate of the University of Burgundy, planted gamay vines at his Château des Charmes Estate Winery in the 1970s. And its plantings have been growing in the area ever since, as more and more winemakers discover that gamay really shines in Niagara.

It’s not that surprising that this Burgundian grape does so well here. For one thing, the continental cool climates of the two regions are quite similar, with warm summers and cold winters, and unpredictable precipitation.

The soils share characteristics as well. Beaujolais boasts granite, limestone and/or clay soils, depending on the area. These soils also tend to be acidic, which helps soften the grape’s naturally high acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More. As for Niagara, the escarpment and lake effects off Lake Ontario create a myriad of microclimates, and the soils are generally a mix of sand, gravel, loam and clay on a limestone bedrock.

As opposed to its cousin, pinot noir, gamay is a high-yielding, generous vine, which can even withstand cold temperatures, so it’s perfectly suited for Niagara. And despite the similarities in terroirTerroir is essentially the geographical, environmental and climatic elements of grape-growing (that allow the same grape grown in two different places to make two completely distinct wines). Here is a non-exhaustive... More, the gamays produced here are completely different from their Beaujolais counterparts. Let’s look at some examples.

Malivoire Small Lot Gamay 2019*

Gamay was first planted at Malivoire in 1998 with the intention of producing rosés inspired by those of the south of France. However, once winemaker Shiraz Mottiar saw the quality of the red wines it created, he became one of the region’s leading gamay producers. Malivoire sees gamay as its “raisin d’être”, making no less than five different iterations of the varietalOften confused with "grape variety", a varietal is a term for a wine named after the single grape variety from which it is made. E.g. Chardonnay, pinot noir More.

The Farmstead Gamay—the wine formerly known as plain ol’ Malivoire Gamay which was rebranded in honour of the farmsteads the winery works with—was reviewed here last year. It is a Vintages Essential, and was a huge hit at last month’s virtual happy hour.

The 2019 Small Lot Gamay is a more refined version of the Farmstead, with grapes sourced from the Estate and another vineyward. It has a bit more weight and structure and was partially whole-cluster fermented. Interestingly, primary fermentationThe process by which yeasts convert the natural sugars in grapes to alcohol, thereby producing wine! More happened in a mix of concrete, stainless steel and oak barrels, then 70% was transferred to neutral barrels before blending and bottling seven months later.

Tasting Note

I love the nose on this wine: red cherry, pepper, baking spice, a waft of florals and some forest floor.

On the palate, it’s light- to medium-bodied with fabulous, mouthwatering acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More and barely-there tanninsTannins help form a wine’s structure, but generally only in red wines. Tannins come from the grape’s stems, seeds and skins, and to a lesser extent from the wood in... More. The flavours are more on the tart cherry, cranberry, raspberry side of things, with baking spice, pepperiness and Niagara escarpment limestone minerality. Bone dry (1 g/l residual sugarThe total amount of sugar that remains in a wine once fermentation is complete (generally expressed as grams per litre). Often abbreviated as RS. More).

But where this wine really shines is with food. It is so versatile, you can serve it with anything from seafood to steak. It paired amazingly well with baked trout in a maple tarragon sauce, which really enhanced the red fruit flavours of the wine. Try it with semi-firm cheeses, pork tenderloin, grilled sausage or Easter fare. Serve slightly chilled, if you’re into that.

As with all Malivoire wines, this gamay is Certified Sustainable, plus it’s vegan!

Where to buy: Directly from the winery ($21.95)

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13th Street Sandstone Gamay 2018*

13th Street is another pioneer in Niagara gamay, with the first vines (provided by Mr. Bosc) being planted in their Sandstone vineyard in 1983. After nearly 40 years, these vines are old enough to make some serious wines.

The 13th Street Sandstone Gamay smells like yummy baking spice, cherry, blackberry, vanilla, earth and leather. On the palate, it’s got great acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More and low tanninsTannins help form a wine’s structure, but generally only in red wines. Tannins come from the grape’s stems, seeds and skins, and to a lesser extent from the wood in... More, and tastes of the same red fruit, spice, black pepper and a hint of licorice.

It’s a great example of what gamay can do when oak aged. The 2018 spent 14 months on oak, which lends it extra depth, structure and character, and a delicious smokiness and vanilla toastiness. Juicy and easy to drink all its own, this gamay is also a perfect pairing for charcuterie, duck, lamb, mushroom risotto, turkey or even steak!

Where to buy: Buy this premium gamay directly from the winery ($34.95).

Di Profio Just what the Doctor Ordered 2018

This is a super approachable gamay with delicious aromas and flavours of cherry, spice, pepper and tobacco. It’s light, high in acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More, and light in tanninsTannins help form a wine’s structure, but generally only in red wines. Tannins come from the grape’s stems, seeds and skins, and to a lesser extent from the wood in... More, and perfectly pairable with burgers or grilled vegetables.

Where to buy: There are a few bottles of this gamay kicking around in Vintages, but you’re probably best to order it from the winery ($22).

Final thoughts

Critics and consumers agree that Niagara is making world­-class gamay. While it’s still only the fifth most-­planted red grape in Ontario, plantings are increasing in Niagara, not to mention in Prince Edward County. Its popularity is also on the rise in other Canadian wine regions like Nova Scotia and the Okanagan, and south of the border in Oregon. Hashtags like #gogamaygo and #gamayzing are trending around the world, but there’s no doubt that Niagara is leading the fray when it comes to New World gamay, and it will be exciting to see what this underdog’s future holds.

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If you are reading this early enough, please join the live Twitter chat on French grapes around the world, on Saturday, March 20th at 11 a.m. EST. Just follow the hashtag #Winophiles and be sure to add that to anything you tweet so we can see it. 

And be sure to read my fellow wine writers’ contributions to the topic of French grapes around the world:

• Allison & Chris at AdVINEtures share French Grapes Around the World: Chardonnay in BC’s Okanagan Valley 
• Andrea of The Quirky Cork declares Ooo la la! French Grapes in Turkey!
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator pours West Coast “Bordeaux” Blends with Beef Bourguignon
• Jeff of FoodWineClick! takes A Reluctant Look at French Grapes Outside of France 
• Jill of L’Occasion features Rhône Grapes in Paso Robles 
• Lauren of The Swirling Dervish goes Beyond Champagne: Pinot Meunier Shines in a Varietal Wine from Two Shepherds 
• Nicole of Somm’s Table is Celebrating Women’s History Month with Gamble Family Vineyard’s Mary Ann 
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings examines Elevating French grapes outside France at Texas’s William and Chris Vineyards 
• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles looks at Roussanne 9009 km from Home 
• Susannah of Avvinare posts Petit Manseng Flourishes In Virginia 
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is Exploring Malbec Outside of France Paired with Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon 
• And host Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla surveys Gamay Around the Globe: From Burgundy to the Willamette Valley + Mussels, Pici, and A Bottle from New Zealand 

Happy wining!

*Note: The wines marked with an asterisk were provided by the winery as samples. No other compensation was provided. Opinions are entirely my own.

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