So You Say You Hate Chardonnay?

Hello Readers. My Wine Tribe is on vacation through mid-August. Until then, we’ll be revisiting some of our favorite posts from the past, such as this look at Chardonnay. Happy summer!

OK, I’ll say it. I’ve never liked Chardonnay. It reminds me of too many cheap happy hour wines that taste like vanilla-spiced butter with a hint of OFF! Deep Woods.

Yuck.

And yet Chardonnay is the second most widely planted white wine grape in the world. And it’s the most popular wine varietal in the United States.

Perhaps it’s time for a rethink before I so boldly claim that I hate Chardonnay.

A Chard by Any Other Name

After a little Chardonnay research I have come to realize that I am an idiot. You see, I don’t like Chardonnay, but I do like Chablis. And it turns out Chablis is Chardonnay grown in Chablis, France. (Ah, the French and their tricky wine labels. Reminder to self: French wine labels are based on place, not grape.)

In fact, Chardonnay has many aliases. Do you adore a good white Burgundy? Congratulations. You like Chardonnay. How about an elegant Montrachet? Score another for Chardonnay. Fancy a Pouilly Fuisse? You guessed it. It too is made from Chardonnay grapes. And if that is not enough, Chardonnay is the second most popular grape used to make Champagne.

Maybe I do like Chardonnay after all.

A Grape that’s Easily Manipulated

Chardonnay is a basic part of many winemakers’ repertoire. Because it’s a neutral grape winemakers can do a lot to manipulate flavor and ultimately make a relatively inexpensive and pleasing wine. Key things that impact the flavor? Where the grapes are grown (hot or cool climate), how the wine is barreled (oak or steel) and how fermentation takes place (malolactic acid or not).

Warm and Fruity vs. Cool and Acidic

Grapes grown in warmer climates such as California, Southern France and South Africa tend to be fruitier because they have more time to ripen on the vine. Conversely, grapes grown in cooler climates, such as Germany, Washington state and northern France, tend to be more acidic, and thus easier to pair with food.

Roll Out the Barrel

When winemakers age their Chardonnay in oak, the wood imparts flavors of butter and spiced vanilla. Oak heightens the wine’s fruit flavors and gives it more complexity. Oak can also add to the price since oak barrels are more expensive than steel. Unoaked chardonnays are generally crisper and cleaner on the palate.

Fermentation: the Fun Part

Malolactic fermentation is a true wine geek term, but stay with me here. Fermentation can take place on its own, but in malolactic fermentation, winemakers add bacteria culture that converts some of the grapes’ natural malic acid into lactic acid, which is found in milk and butter. Hence, the wine takes on a denser, creamier texture. Wines fermented this way generally have a richer mouthfeel, but they’re a bit less edgy—and on a bad day could be described as flabby. No malolactic fermentation? Then you get a wine that is crisper, lighter and more acidic.

Karma Chameleon?

The bottom line is Chardonnay can be a chameleon, picking up different characteristics depending on where it’s grown and how it’s treated. That means it’s perfect for a My Wine Tribe tasting where we can test global Chardonnays on guests with different palates. That’s coming up next. In the meantime, tell us about your favorite Chardonnays. Cheers!