Chardonnay: The King of White Wines
Ask the wine connoisseurs about the best white wine and the unanimous response will be ‘Chardonnay’! Made from the best of all the white grapes, Chardonnay wine was originally the pride of Burgundy, although Chardonnay from other parts of the globe are slowly gaining in popularity. The rich California Chardonnay with tropical fruit flavors is a good example of the new world Chardonnay.
An unparallel taste – the signature of Chardonnay
- Chardonnay belongs to the category of dry white wine.
- Although it is not nearly as sweet as Riesling, sometimes it comes with traces of sweetness.
- A type of dry wine, Chardonnay comes with a smooth velvety taste that makes it so adorable to the wine connoisseurs.
- This white wine varietal, made from Chardonnay grape offers a fuller taste. Once you sip the chardonnay, the rich taste and flavor gives you a fuller sensation that stays long in your mouth just like some red wines.
Wide ranging flavors that define a Chardonnay
- Unlike the other famous white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay comes with much wider ranging flavors.
- No single flavor rules the taste of Chardonnay; you may find chardonnay with different types of flavors ranging from ranging from citrus (lemon, grapefruit) to fruity (peach, pear) to tropical (pineapple, kiwi).
- Why this difference in flavors? The answer lies in the grape vines situated in different climatic zones and soil conditions. Then, the extraction process as well as the particular style of a winemaker also varies with the different wineries. All these contribute to the varying flavor of Chardonnay.
- In addition to the varying flavor, Chardonnay often displays varying tones. As for instance, if the wine has been aged in oak, it will display a creamy, buttery tone.
Chardonnay around the world
France is the famous producer of Chardonnay grapes that are used to produce famous white wines of Burgundy. They are also used as a key ingredient in Champagne, especially to make the famous variety known as Blanc de Blancs.
In the United States, Chardonnay is one of the most popular white wines. Chardonnay is regarded as the most important of all wines that sparked the wine renaissance in the United States,
New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Italy and Chile are among other wine-producing countries, where good quality Chardonnay is grown.
Each Chardonnay growing country has its own secret art of chardonnay making and as such the taste and flavor of chardonnay can greatly vary from region to region.
The last bit of advice before you buy yourself a bottle of Chardonnay
A good Chardonnay is often described as a “collector’s white’ as the complex, subtle flavors of good Chardonnay is the result of aging over the years.
However, while purchasing a Chardonnay, avoid those bottles which mention they are ‘oaked’, instead of declaring that they have been aged in oak barrels. The oaky flavors in these wines can be attributed to the wood chips or other source of direct oak.
Even if you buy these wines, finish them off while young; over time these wines with a cheap source of oaks can prove to be too awful for your senses as well as your stomach.
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