Gamay
The Beaujolais grape; perhaps the lowest in tannin of well-known reds, exuberantly fruity, almost white-wine-like.
About the grape
Gamay, or more properly gamay noir, is the source of French Beaujolais, including Beaujolais Nouveau. Of all the well-known red grapes it is perhaps the lowest in tannin and thus, structurally, more like a white wine than a red, and it is also exuberantly fruity, with top examples showing crushed rock and minerals. Its parents are pinot noir and gouais blanc, making it a sibling of chardonnay; the most serious gamays come from the ten 'cru' villages of the Beaujolais region.
