Chardonnay is the most popular white wine on the market in the United States, and growing around the world. Walk into any given market whether it be a supermarket, or your local wine shop and the shelves are flooded with this grape, so much so that one might think it was the only white wine. Go to any party and the white wine offering is almost always Chardonnay even though it is one of the hardest whites to pair with food. As with any consumable item the more the masses love it the more it loses its original character and Chardonnay is a prime example of that.
The wine's origin is France and more specifically the Burgundy region where it is simply called White Burgundy. Now it is grown all around the world not just because it is so popular but because it is an easy growing grape that is not picky about where it is planted, thus it is very successful almost anywhere it roots. It is definitely the biggest of the whites, the Cabernet Sauvignon of the white grapes, and that is due to the process of how it is fermented. Some chardonnays are so bold and heavy that they can even be paired with a steak just like Cabernet! Chardonnay is both fermented and aged briefly in oak barrels unlike other whites, and is what gives the wine its unique quality, but it is also where it can go horribly wrong. In a skilled wine maker’s hands the barrel fermenting and ageing transforms the wine into a creamier body, lengthier finish, and a more heavy taste. Just the opposite can happen in the wrong hands, a winery that is looking at quantity over quality will age the wine too long in the oak barrel, and the wine becomes something that tastes like wood! And for some reason people in the United States like the taste of woody wine! This is now why some wineries are skipping the oak aging all together to distinguish themselves from the others.
The flavors and aromas are quite lovely if correctly balanced. Vanilla, butter, butterscotch, buttered toast, custard, green apple, tropical fruit, lemon, pineapple, all wrapped up in a creamy lush body, are some of the main attributes of chardonnay. As you can see butter comes up quite often, which is why if you are having a cream or butter based meal chardonnay is your wine! Tonight we are tasting the wine with shrimp and butter sauce, chicken with a cream sauce, green apple and pear fruit salad, white bean dip with bacon, glazed carrots, French onion soup and four cheeses. One of the classic chardonnay pairings is lobster tails braised and dipped in a butter sauce, so if you ever have the money go for it I’ve heard it’s divine!
The best regions to get a balanced chardonnay is Burgundy (France), Chablis, (France), Washington State, New Zealand, Tuscany (Italy), and Australia. California is a high risk region due to the fact that it is over produced and often tasted like you are drinking a tree! So read the labels!! Unoaked and balanced oaked best bets are Chablis and Tuscany. So sip and enjoy!
The wine's origin is France and more specifically the Burgundy region where it is simply called White Burgundy. Now it is grown all around the world not just because it is so popular but because it is an easy growing grape that is not picky about where it is planted, thus it is very successful almost anywhere it roots. It is definitely the biggest of the whites, the Cabernet Sauvignon of the white grapes, and that is due to the process of how it is fermented. Some chardonnays are so bold and heavy that they can even be paired with a steak just like Cabernet! Chardonnay is both fermented and aged briefly in oak barrels unlike other whites, and is what gives the wine its unique quality, but it is also where it can go horribly wrong. In a skilled wine maker’s hands the barrel fermenting and ageing transforms the wine into a creamier body, lengthier finish, and a more heavy taste. Just the opposite can happen in the wrong hands, a winery that is looking at quantity over quality will age the wine too long in the oak barrel, and the wine becomes something that tastes like wood! And for some reason people in the United States like the taste of woody wine! This is now why some wineries are skipping the oak aging all together to distinguish themselves from the others.
The flavors and aromas are quite lovely if correctly balanced. Vanilla, butter, butterscotch, buttered toast, custard, green apple, tropical fruit, lemon, pineapple, all wrapped up in a creamy lush body, are some of the main attributes of chardonnay. As you can see butter comes up quite often, which is why if you are having a cream or butter based meal chardonnay is your wine! Tonight we are tasting the wine with shrimp and butter sauce, chicken with a cream sauce, green apple and pear fruit salad, white bean dip with bacon, glazed carrots, French onion soup and four cheeses. One of the classic chardonnay pairings is lobster tails braised and dipped in a butter sauce, so if you ever have the money go for it I’ve heard it’s divine!
The best regions to get a balanced chardonnay is Burgundy (France), Chablis, (France), Washington State, New Zealand, Tuscany (Italy), and Australia. California is a high risk region due to the fact that it is over produced and often tasted like you are drinking a tree! So read the labels!! Unoaked and balanced oaked best bets are Chablis and Tuscany. So sip and enjoy!
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