The Gamay Grape

Officially, the name of the grape is "Gamay noir a jus blanc", but you can call it simply "Gamay". It is a very vigorous variety, meaning that it is fairly hardy and grows fairly aggressively. How aggressive? Over 4000 vines are planted per acre, the highest density of planting in the world. The Gamay grape takes up 98% of the vineyards in Beaujolais, and every last bunch is hand-picked (Champagne is the only other French region where the harvest must, by law, be done by hand).

Compared to other red grapes, Gamay has a thinner skin, which means less tannins, which means the eventual wine has a softer mouth feel than say, Cabernet or Shiraz, and will have a brighter, fresher flavor.

A central issue in wine growing is controlling the yield of each vine, and winegrowers use pruning systems to control yields. There are two pruning systems practiced in Beaujolais: the Guyot and the Gobelet. How these systems are built can get pretty technical, but the main gist is that the Guyot-trained vines in Beaujolais will result in larger grapes, so that wines will be fruity and light, while the Gobelet-trained vines in Beaujolais Villages and the Crus produce smaller, more concentrated grapes (and thus, more concentrated wines).