The Beaujolais Bummer & Gamay in the New World | Radford Dale Vinum Gamay Noir 2022 | HANtv S04.Ep11

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Gamay in South Africa: The Origin Story

When Hugh Jackman's Wolverine turned out to be a huge hit at the box office, it seemed only logical to boost profits by focussing on the parts that most of us usually skip over; the humble beginnings - or "origin story", as it has become known.
But Wolverine wasn't the first. Origin stotries have been money spinners ever since Clark landed in Smallville, and they won't disappear anytime soon. Magneto got one. Star Wars got one. Heck, The Big Bang's Sheldon got an entire origin series.
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Catch it the first time around

But as mentioned, origin stories are usually told retrospecgively, once the appeal has been proven by more exciting chapters later on in the narrative chronology. It's not often that there is an abiding sense of excitement from the get go. And this is what makes Gamay Noir in South Africa different to almost any other cultivar we have right now.
Our ancient granite soils; the wave of emerging young winemaking talent, the advent of precision viticulture in South Africa, and the rapid rise in popularity of Beaujolais wines on the global wine scene... these elements appear to be dovetailing splendidly to create the perfect cocoon within which the idea of South African Gamay Noir can grow wings. And best of all, we get to be here for the start of it all.

Obviously, If you have yet to sign up for your Monthly HanDrinksSolo Wine Subscription then you'll have to hunt this wine down in your own time to get a more complete sense of why we're hyped. But until then, here are my tasting notes and some technical specs:

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TECHNICAL SPECS

🔬 Wine of Origin Stellenbosch (Polkadraai Hills Ward). Two blocks of vines, both facing south-east, planted in granitic soils. The oldest vines were planted in 1999.

Grapes were harvested in the early morning, and destemmed, but not crushed. Whole berries were transferred to 7000-litre Oak fermenters, where carbonic maceration spontaneously commences. After fermentation, pomace is pressed via basket press, and the wine is racked to smaller 225-litre old oak barrels where malolactic conversion takes place. The wine is in barrel for a total of 10 months.
Alcohol: 13 % vol Total Acidity: 5.2 g/l pH: 3.59 Residual Sugar: 2.3 g/l