This is the second in our Close Up series on wine varieties in the Okanagan valley and this time we’re featuring Gamay. Gamay is sometimes denied its dues as a serious wine grape and sometimes can get ignored altogether. But here in the Okanagan, there are some high quality producers that are making great wines that are extremely easy to sip and savour. In this case, the reputation of the product precedes it and you can hear Amber and AJ smiling just before the wine gets poured.
(This is the second Gamay that we’ve featured on our podcasts, the other being the Blue Mountain Gamay 2008 in Podcast #17.)
Wine Country BC 
I can tell you with great certainty that neither the Gamay Beaujolais nor Gamay 509 clone will ever get to an acid level that will make a good Gamay as a red, there is not enough heat.As it has a thin skin and is prone to mildew and bortrytis wet coastal conditions will ensure spoilage prior to harvest. That is the Achilles heal of Gamay.Perhaps a Rose.Black cherries and Vanilla are (at least to me) the most dominant characteristics. After tasting the Desert Hills 2002 Gamay recently in the library I can tell you it has enough tannin to age well, but light enough (on tannins) to release the following spring.Gamay can be served chilled, but the fruity aromas are subdued at lower temperatures.