Gamay's a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name's Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It's a very old cultivar, mentioned already in the 1400s. It's been often cultivated because it makes for abundant production, however it can produce wines of distinction when planted on acidic soils, which help to soften the grape's naturally high acidity. History The Gamay grape's thought to have appeared first in the… (More on Gamay)