Gamay
...victim of a bad press?
Poor old Gamay, it really has suffered a bad press. In fact last year a small French magazine, ‘Lyon Mag’, was sued by a consortium of Beaujolais producers – red Beaujolais is 100p/c Gamay - for quoting a wine critic who called this wine ‘Vin de Merde’, an opinion, incidentally, which isn’t true. However the resulting, harmful controversy spread worldwide like wildfire...
Whilst Gamay is unlikely to ever rival ‘serious’ burgundies, or classy clarets, what it proffers drinkers, especially when lightly chilled at this time of year, is a delicate, easily drinkable, harmonious blend of juicy summer fruits. And it does so without blasting the drinker with high alcohol levels or lofty price tags.
It is this ‘accessibility’ that inspired the famous annual ‘Beaujolais Nouveau Race’, the brainchild of Robert Drouhin, a media-savvy Beaune shipper, to celebrate the release of his wine. Originally just a limited release to cafes and restaurants, often still served out of barrels, the grandiose Drouhin thought up an extended race, across the channel to excite the attentions of British wine merchants and eager customers. In fact, such was the hype that one year Tower Bridge was raised especially to allow an early shipment of Beaujolais to sail on through. However new wine often tastes odd when opened immediately after bottling, leading to 'bottle sickness', not to mention the numerous car accidents and general automotive chaos an unofficial race causes French gendarme!
The summation of this tale – buy to enjoy and not to cellar, from reputable producers, and for goodness sake, give the juvenile 'nouveau' a wide berth!
'Blyde's Best':
Fleurie Bouchard père et fils 2002 (£8.49, Waitrose). Fleurie is one of the 10 'Crus', or top growths of Beaujolais, and I love it. Look for a gentle suffusion of cloves on the nose and a structured, lasting aftertaste. Incidentally, the terms 'cru' applies to any agrictultural products in France, hence a cru of Maris Piper potatoes, for example.
Beaujolais 2003 – Paul Sapin (£5.99, M&S). A clear, tasty wine with purple tints and a 'bubblegum' nose – actually this is not an unattractive feature and is evident in many Beaujolais
Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé (£7.49, Waitrose). This well made sparkling wine is bright red apple in colour, with biscuits and indeed apples on the nose. It is a combination of Gamay and Chardonnay, and the overall effect it is dry.
Beaujolais-Villages 2002 - Georges Duboeuf (£5.49, Majestic). George Duboef is affectionately known in France as 'The King Of Beaujolais'. Whilst I take an instinctive aversion to the design of the distinctive, floral labels which cover his bottles, he makes lively, good quality, affordable Gamay. This wine is especially drinkable. Good, light brasserie wine.
Chateau des Jacques Moulin à Vent 2001 – Louis Jadot (£10.99, Waitrose). This is represenataive of another leading Beaujolais cru. Look for a somewhat 'farmyard' nose (dung, hay, warm hairy livestock) – a typical Burgundian signature!
[Citizen, June 2004]
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