Wine to try
2007 Roundstone Gamay, Yarra Valley, A$25
Guinea fowl are often grazed in vineyards to help control pests and restore ecological balance. They make delicious eating, too – with delicate gamey flavours and a fine texture. This recipe treats the guinea fowl with respect: the onion, carrot and garlic giving a rustic touch to the dish.

Naturally, the partnering wine should be gentle and rustic – so gamay is a good choice. Gamay is little-known in Australia but it’s grown in huge volume in France where it is the mandatory red variety in the southern Burgundy region of Beaujolais. A distant cousin of pinot noir, gamay is light-bodied with juicy red-fruit flavours, low tannins and fresh acidity, which it maintains when grown in warm regions. These characteristics make gamay a likely contender in this warm country but few have grasped the opportunity. Len Evans did, as has Phillip Jones of Bass Phillip fame, David Lloyd at Eldridge Estate on the Mornington and John and Lynne Derwin of Roundstone in the Yarra Valley.

This recipe appeared in the June/July 2009 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.