Corney & Barrow 

French red grape Gamay can produce gorgeously quaffable, soft red wines brimming with raspberry fruit as well as richer, more complex styles more akin to fine French Burgundy. So why have so few people heard of Gamay? Well, firstly it is not widely planted outside France, so has never won the international recognition achieved by grapes like Merlot or Shiraz. Secondly, under French law, grape varieties are not always allowed to appear on wine labels. However, the odds are that you have tasted Gamay already as it is the grape of Fleurie, Morgon and indeed all red wines of the hilly Beaujolais wine region, part of France’s aristocratic Burgundy. While light, cherry-bright Gamay is made in the Loire wine region too, it is on Beaujolais’ ancient granite and schist soils and from gnarled old vines that Gamay’s appealing berry perfumes and juicy, supple style truly shine.