Greatest Chardonnay to Purchase and Chardonnay Wine Information

April 12, 2023

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Need to study chardonnay? On the lookout for the perfect chardonnays to purchase? Our wine skilled provides her recommendation on which bottles to select.

What’s chardonnay?

As soon as upon a time, it appeared that chardonnay was virtually shorthand for white wine. Served in all places, from the neatest of eating places to the grottiest of pubs, it was the go-to alternative for a lot of drinkers.

Numerous chardonnay got here from Australia, whose sunny local weather was significantly suited to excessive yields and dependable harvests. The Aussies made their chardonnays massive and blousy, usually with ABVs of 14% or extra, and normally closely tinged with oak. It appeared we Brits couldn’t get sufficient of it.

Then alongside got here Bridget Jones within the smashhit film of 2001, knocking again buckets of the stuff to drown her many romantic sorrows. Round this time, we started to fall out of affection with it (although whether or not the blame could be put at Bridget’s door is questionable), and ABC (Something However Chardonnay) turned our battle cry as we switched our allegiance to lighter, more energizing pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc.

I used to be a type of who shunned the grape for years however my affection for it has returned. Chardonnay could be a lot greater than these harsh oak-bombs we drank again then – it is likely one of the world’s most generally planted grapes, grown in just about each wine-making area, and made into so many kinds. In France, chardonnay’s historic dwelling, it ranges from fantastically lean and steely chablis to massive and buttery burgundies resembling top-notch (and top-dollar) montrachets and meursaults. It’s also one of many main grapes of champagne and as such finds itself in a lot of the world’s best fizz, together with our personal English glowing wine and franciacorta from Italy.

Whereas among the most prestigious chardonnays are fermented and/or aged in oak barrels to present their attribute creamy texture and toasty notes of vanilla and mild spice, oak is usually used to masks low-quality base wine, usually utilizing extremely toasted oak chips or staves to maintain the price of manufacturing down, together with synthetic acidifiers and/or sweeteners. Fortunately, these clunky, over-processed chards have gotten outmoded by more energizing, extra elegant kinds to swimsuit the trendy drinker.

Chardonnays from the cooler components of California, together with these from Chile, Argentina and South Africa, are all price looking for, although the latter three will usually provide you with extra bang in your buck. Australia’s choices have additionally come a good distance by way of high quality, particularly these from the Margaret River area, however for my cash it’s New Zealand that takes the highest spot of producers within the southern hemisphere, each by way of high quality and of worth. For therefore many people, chardonnay simply was once about ‘tasting the timber’, because the Kiwis say. Now winemakers all over the world are treating it with the respect it deserves and are making chardonnays that demand our consideration as soon as once more.

The perfect chardonnay wines to purchase

Domaine Maire ‘Grand Heritage’ Chardonnay 2018

Oak-aged savagnin is added to chardonnay for depth. Notes of orchard fruits with citrus and ginger. Attempt it with tarragon butter rooster.

Accessible from:
Majestic (£14.99, £12.99 when shopping for six)

Florent Rouve Chardonnay Arbois

Fermented with native yeasts in oak barrels for a chardonnay that sings of its terroir. Honeyed and gently spicy with minerality, it’s nice with creamy dishes.

Accessible from:
Waitrose Cellar (£19.99)

Familia Falasco Hermandad Chardonnay 2018

From Argentina’s Mendoza valley excessive up on the Andes, a pleasant chardonnay that stands up effectively in opposition to good white burgundies. Notes of pineapples, lemons and vanilla with a silky, buttery end.

Accessible from:
The Secret Bottle Store (£23.95)

Tesco Most interesting Chablis Premier Cru

Savoury and textured with juicy, orchard fruits and brilliant acidity softened by a delicate contact of oak. Attempt with our spaghetti alle vongole with samphire.

Accessible from:
Tesco (£18)

Kaesler Stonehorse Chardonnay

Fashionable Australian chardonnay that’s a world away from the tough oak bombs of the previous. Full-bodied and beneficiant however with clear and lemony fruit, and just a bit warming spice.

Accessible from:
Taurus Wines (£15.99)