Gamay

Inspired by Beaujolais, made in Hawke's Bay and all about expressing Gamay's soft red berry flavours with lifted floral aromas and a smooth, medium body. Carbonic maceration was used for 47% of the wine and it enhances the fruit and floral aromas. The remaining 53% received a traditional, warm, red wine fermentation. The resulting wines completed their malolactic fermentation and were matured for seven weeks in seasoned French oak barrels, before blending and bottling.

Vineyards

In 1995, Te Mata Estate introduced to New Zealand a superior selection of Gamay Noir ? Jus Blanc, the grape variety of the best wines of France?s Beaujolais region. Estate Vineyards Gamay Noir 2020 is a single vineyard wine from Te Mata Estate?s Woodthorpe Terraces vineyard, harvested on 3 and 12 March 2020.

Woodthorpe vineyard is located on elevated, north facing terraces in Hawke?s Bay Tutaekuri River valley. Between 1863 and 1914 it was home to the annual Woodthorpe races. 

Les Griottes is a perfect example of what makes good Beaujolais so popular. It's made from the youngest vines on the estate so it's all about fresh fruit flavours and juicy acidity. It is called Les Griottes because the bottom of the vineyard is lined with cherry, wild cherry and morello cherry (griotte) trees. 

It's a fruit driven Beaujolais with spicy intense cherry flavours, just like its name suggests.

This wine represents great value for money as it shows what good Beaujolais is about. 

Drink lightly chilled.

Winemakers Rod and Emma Easthope make one of New Zealand's few Gamays from the Two Terraces Vineyards in Maraekakaho, Hawke's Bay. It's a vineyard owned by Ian Quinn, a fellow lover of the velvet smooth reds that the Gamay grape is capable of making. 

This lovely wine is made from hand picked grapes, which were whole bunch fermented, foot stomped and aged in a combination of old oak puncheons and stone eggs.

Bottled unfined, unfiltered and unsulphured.

Ian and Linda Quinn are among the few growers of the Gamay grape in New Zealand at their Two Terraces Vineyard in Mangatahi, Hawke's Bay. This lovely wine made by Haydon Penny is the made from their vines and in relatively small volumes.

It's extremely aromatic with red fruit flavours and offers a beautiful mix of bright red fruit and earthy notes. Light and lively on the palate, with a crunchy texture and loads of cherry and strawberry, with just a hint of spice. Move over rose?? Gamay is here! Serve slightly chilled.

Fruity, smooth, velvety and juicy. This seductive red charmer comes from Central Otago but is made with the great Gamay grape, famous for its starring role in Beaujolais. And, like good Beaujolais, this wine's soft tannins and smooth texture mean it can be enjoyed lightly chilled. 

Vibrant, juicy and fruity. This is a great summer red to serve slightly chilled or a year round smooth and versatile red.

Grosjean's velvety Gamay from north east Italy tastes ideal with cured meats such as salami, prosciutto and Italian soups.

Gamay's smooth red fruited flavours and lifted red floral perfume are best known from France's Beaujolais region but here's an Italian take on the same theme from the dramatic beauty of the Valle d'Aoste in north east Italy. Grosjean is a small volume, high quality focussed producer, which makes this wine from grapes grown between 700 and 850 metres above sea level on steep sunny mountainous slopes.

The Grosjean family traces its roots back to the village of Fornet in the high mountain passes of the Valle d?Aosta known as Valgrisenche where they raised cattle. During the summer months, the family cultivated grapes and chestnuts on the slopes at a lower altitude, stocking up on wine to supply themselves over the long winters. In 1969, Dauphin Grosjean, the father of the five sons that now collaborate to produce the wines of this estate, was encouraged to present his wine at the local ?wine expo?. The exceptional quality of his work was recognized and the entire family became engaged in the expansion of the vineyards and in the production of wine.

The estate has now grown to encompass seven hectares of vineyards. The domaine is located in the hamlet of Ollignan on the border of the towns of Quart and Saint Christophe and includes ?cru? vineyard sites such as Tzeriat, Rovettaz, Creton, and Touren in Quart, plus Tzant? de Bagnere, Merletta and Castello di Pleod in Saint Christophe. After starting out with the traditional Petit Rouge along with some Gamay, Pinot Noir and Petite Arvine, the Grosjeans have planted other local varietals such as Fumin, Cornalin, Premetta and Vuillermin.

Sustainable farming techniques have been in place since 1975: only organic fertilizers are applied and no pesticides or herbicides are used. Natural yeasts are utilized for fermentation.

Chateau Thivin is the oldest estate on Mont Brouilly, which has remained in family hands for several generations. Grown on steep slopes, harvested manually and vinified using low intervention techniques so as to maximise terroir expression. 

The Brouilly appellation is capable of producing excellent and complex wines, quite unlike the maligned Beaujolais Nouveau. Brouilly produces fruit forward, medium bodied wines, typically from the Gamay grape. 

Le Sept Vignes is a blend of the seven plots of Chateau Thivin, in an effort to represent the region's terroir. This is a delicious, medium bodied red, with slight tannins and a persistent, juicy red-fruit character. Complex yet easy-drinking in it's youth. This wine will grow in elegance given a few years age. 

Fleurie is one of the 10 Beaujolais villages that are known for their plump, soft, smooth and fruity wines made from the lovely Gamay grape. This is an outstanding example with spicy aromas leading into a soft, fleshy and full bodied red that really over delivers, every year, putting this wine region's best foot forward. 

""A joint venture between Dominique Piron and 3 star Michelin Restaurant Lameloise, this always rates highly. "A sexy, highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh red and dark berries, potpourri and smoky minerals, and a subtle hint of game emerges slowly. Juicy, impressively concentrated black raspberry, bitter cherry and violet pastille flavors tighten up and become spicier on the back half. " 92/100 Jancis Robinson

Fruity dark flavours and uber complex in taste, this new Gamay from Dicey offers a spectrum of blackcurrant fruit flavours and impressive depth of flavour from 16% whole bunch fermentation while the majority (84%) of fruit was destemmed. Wild yeast fermentation and natural malolactic fermentation were followed by ageing in old oak barrels (considered neutral in terms of flavour).

The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Volumes of small and quality is high of this supple, smooth and savoury Gamay from the Adelaide Hills winery, Ochota Barrels.  Fresh red fruit flavours are held together in a medium bodied, dry red wine made from vines planted in 1985 in the Piccadilly Valley. This is a concentrated red from a quirky grape planted in a climate that is well suited to it and made with care and attention. 

We have small volumes of Ochota Barrels wines in store at Regional. Get in quick. 

Soft spicy and flavoursome red made from Gamay (the Beaujolais grape), only in this case grown on the Two Terraces Vineyard at Maraekakaho in Hawke's Bay. Lifted fruity aromas accentuate the soft, intense perfume of the Gamay grape, which expresses itself with full force in this fragrant lovely red fruited wine. 

The wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts and given 100% carbonic maceration and aged in a combination of large clay amphora from Spain and older oak barrels. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Precious little of this lovely Gamay was made from a vineyard of just 1386 vines of Gamay in Northburn, Central Otago. This equates to 0.33 hectare. What this wine lacks in volume, it more than makes up for in high quality.
It?s a wonder that Gamay is only just beginning to be recognised as the plush little sister to Pinot Noir and here is another small volume, top notch example from Central Otago, which proves the point with its lush mouth feel and lively fresh dark fruit flavours.  

Grape varieties: Gamay

Winemaking: Hand harvesting on very demanding terroirs offering highest potential regarding the preservation of fresh fruit aromas, Beaujolais features. Our winemakers aim the perfect balance between jammy fruit and tannic structure. Semi-carbonic maceration – alcoholic fermentation with daily rack and return – malolactic fermentation – blending and fining.

Soil: Granite, sand and silica.
Climate: Continental climate with cold and dry winters and hot and sunny summers.
Aging: Ageing in vats.

Tasting notes:
Beautiful ruby red colour of good intensity. Elegant, with fresh fig and ripe red berry aromas (black cherry, wild strawberry), as well as delicate spicy notes. Nice structure on the palate with a long liquorice finish.

Food matches: Cold meats, grilled poultry and cheese.
Best served between 14°C and 16°C / 57+F and 60°F.