FUSO, Gamé - 2025

Fast Facts:

Winemaker(s): Romain Paire
Region: Côtes du Forez → Loire → France
Varietal(s): Gamay Saint-Romain
Terroir: Granitic hills, 450m elevation, semi-continental climate
Serving Temp: 55-60°F

One of our favorite importer projects is BACK BABY with a new bottle, and this time it's French. FUSO is a PortoVino collaboration where they co-produce wines each year with their favorite small organic farmers, a concept that is becoming more and more popular with excellent results. Perhaps you've tried some other FUSO labels we've carried in the past? Always fresh and playful and irreverent, right up our alley.

Romain Paire is the cool guy behind this Gamay, and also the owner/winemaker of Domaine des Pothiers (another Field fave). The winery has been in his family since before the 16th century, and after he got his hands on it in 2005, Romain brought the whole operation into organic farming and eventually biodynamics. He also grew the vineyards from 5 to 22 hectares and introduced Riesling and Pinot Gris to an appellation that had never seen them. He built a frost prevention system for his neighbors, heats his buildings with vine shoots, and makes craft beer on the side.

The grape here is Gamay Saint-Romain (no relation to the person Romain), a local variant traced back to Benedictine monks in the 13th century that grows almost exclusively on the volcanic foothills of central France. The grapes ripen later than their neighboring Beaujolais Gamay, run smaller and more concentrated, and lean spicy and savory rather than the typical juicy Gamay. For this collab, Romain sourced from the Côtes du Forez, the quieter appellation just next door to his home turf in the Côte Roannaise.

Why'd we pick it?

We love a FUSO bottling, of course. We also love this region and all the smaller appellations surrounding Beaujolais that bring their own quiet charm to Gamay. The Côtes du Forez is the niche under-the-radar choice that you should start looking around for or name-dropping at wine shops.

Field Notes

• Tastes like: Crunchy red fruit with notes of ginger, citrus, white flowers, and a smidge of tannin to ground it.
• Serve it after a quick fifteen minutes in the fridge. Let it warm as you glug.
• Food Pairings: Halloumi skewers off the grill with blistered cherry tomatoes, lil' tzatziki dipping on the side. For a bit more pep, fennel-rubbed pork tenderloin with grilled nectarines and salsa verde. Or for extra veg fun, make some zucchini fritters with a lemony yogurt.