Gamay Teinturier De Bouze

Gamay Teinturier de Bouze is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera, classified as a teinturier because its flesh and juice are coloured, unlike the white-juiced Gamay noir from which it arose. It is a somatic mutation observed in 1823 by Caumartin on a vine of Gamay noir à jus blanc, and it takes its name from the Burgundian village of Bouze-lès-Beaune in the Côte-d'Or department of France. The variety is recorded in the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) under the prime name GAMAY TEINTURIER DE BOUZE, with the utilization listed as wine grape. It is maintained in grapevine collections in at least eleven institutions across Argentina, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, reflecting its role as a genetic resource for breeders and researchers. The variety is known under numerous synonyms, including Gamay de Bouze, Rouge de Bouze, Rouge de Couchey, Petit Mourot, Mourot, Plant de Bouze and Rosso di Bouze. As a teinturier grape, it is capable of producing deeply coloured wines and is traditionally used in blends to intensify colour, although its early budbreak and high susceptibility to grey rot make it demanding to cultivate. Its primary significance today lies in its conservation in germplasm repositories and its occasional use in artisanal winemaking, rather than in large-scale commercial production.

Gamay Teinturier de Bouze originated as a somatic mutation of Gamay noir à jus blanc, observed in 1823 by Caumartin. The mutation occurred in a vine of the white-juiced Gamay, giving rise to a teinturier form with coloured flesh and juice. The variety takes its name from the village of Bouze-lès-Beaune in the Côte-d'Or department of Burgundy, France, where it was first identified. Over the 19th and 20th centuries, it spread under various local names such as Rouge de Bouze, Rouge de Couchey, Petit Mourot and Mourot, and was occasionally planted to add colour to pale wines. Its cultivation remained limited because of viticultural challenges, notably early budbreak and high susceptibility to grey rot (Botrytis cinerea). In the modern era, the variety has been catalogued and conserved in grapevine collections worldwide. The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC), maintained by the Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof since 1983, lists Gamay Teinturier de Bouze as a prime name with utilization as a wine grape. The VIVC records holding institutions in eleven countries, including Argentina, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, ensuring its preservation as a genetic resource. The first curator of the VIVC was Dr. Erika Maul, who served from 1996 to 2023. Today, Gamay Teinturier de Bouze remains a minor variety, valued by ampelographers and breeders for its teinturier trait and historical significance.

• 1996

  VIVC becomes accessible via the Internet; Dr. Erika Maul becomes first curator (until 2023).

• 1983

  Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof begins inventory of Vitis species, leading to the establishment of the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC).

• 1823

  Observed by Caumartin as a mutation on a vine of Gamay noir à jus blanc.

A heritage teinturier grape variety conserved as a genetic resource and used in artisanal winemaking for colour intensity.

• Gamay Teinturier de Bouze wine grape

  A teinturier grape variety used in winemaking, primarily for blending to enhance colour.

1. 1GAMAY TEINTURIER DE BOUZE - Vitis International Variety Cataloguevivc.de
2. 2History of prime name changes - Vitis International Variety Cataloguevivc.de
3. 3Available information - Vitis International Variety Cataloguevivc.de
4. 4Available information - Vitis International Variety Cataloguevivc.de
5. 5Gamay Teinturier De Bouze - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Gamay de Bouze - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org