Wines made from Gamay noir grapes of Hungary
Discover the best wines made with Gamay noir as a single variety or as a blend of Hungary.
Gamay is a Burgundian grape variety that has existed since the 14th century. For fear of competition with the pinot noir of Burgundy, gamay was finally uprooted and planted in the Beaujolais region, from Mâcon to Lyon. These siliceous and granitic soils suit it perfectly, and it gives its best here. But it is also planted all over France, such as in Lorraine, in the Loire Valley, in Bugey, in Savoie and in Auvergne. Gamay is early and very productive and needs to be limited so that quality prevails over quantity. Short winter pruning of the shoots and high density of vines per hectare are the methods that allow it to produce very fruity, fresh and greedy red wines. Gamay is also very popular in red wine futures, and produces wines from the Beaujolais region with very interesting character and ageing potential. The AOCs Crémant-de-Bourgogne, Mâcon, Anjou, Touraine, Rosé de vallée de la Loire, Côtes-d'Auvergne, Saint-Pourçain, Bugey, Gaillac, Côtes du Luberon... and many vins de pays are proud of it. Today, about 36,000 hectares of Gamay are cultivated in France, including 22,000 hectares in Beaujolais.
Hungary, in Central Europe, has gained its reputation in the wine world through just a couple of wine styles, but for centuries it has been a wine-producing nation of considerable diversity. In addition to the Sweet wines of Tokaj and the Deep Bull's Blood of Eger, the Hungarian wine portfolio includes Dry whites from the shores of Lake Balaton, Somló and Neszmély, and finer reds from various regions, notably Villány, Sopron and Szekszard. Hungarian wine culture stretches back to Roman times and has survived numerous political, religious and economic challenges, including Islamic rule during the 16th Century (when Alcohol was prohibited) and the Phylloxera epidemic of the late 1800s. The modern Hungarian wine regions are distributed around the country.