Gamay

American  

[ga-mey, gam-ey] / gæˈmeɪ, ˈgæm eɪ /

noun

1. a grape grown especially in the Beaujolais region of France and in N California.

2. the dry red wine made from this grape.

---

Etymology

Origin of Gamay

< French gamay, gamet, after Gamay, a village in St.-Aubin commune (Côte-d'Or), France

Example Sentences

Made from the Gamay grape in a sunny region south of Burgundy’s famed Côte d’Or, Beaujolais has all the characteristics of a first-rate Thanksgiving wine.

From The Wall Street Journal

According to the ordinance issued by Philip the Bold, Gamay not only threatened the livelihoods of honest vignerons who used higher-quality grapes, but also ruined Burgundy's reputation for fine Pinot Noir wines with its bitter taste and apparently harmful effects on public health.

From Salon

In order to safeguard the esteemed Pinot Noir and the well-being of Philip's people, the ordinance declared, all Gamay vines were to be cut down within a month and completely uprooted by the following Easter: "ripped out, eradicated, destroyed, reduced to nought ... forever."

From Salon

The Gamay grape, taking its name from a small village in the hills around Beaune, had sprouted in large numbers across Burgundian vineyards, yielding on average three times more wine per acre and ripening two weeks earlier than Pinot.

From Salon

High yields were not problematic in and of itself, but the fecundity of an apparently inferior grape relative to Pinot was unacceptable to the duke, who feared that Gamay vines would take over arable land that could otherwise be used for Pinot or other crops deemed more valuable.

From Salon