About Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the world's most popular white wine grape, with over 300,000 acres planted, 100,000 in California alone. Its homeland is the Burgundy region of France, where it produces sublime, complex table wines (in Champagne and elsewhere it provides the base for many of the world’s best sparkling wines).
Chardonnay really hit its prime when it was transplanted to California. Its popularity has grown immensely in the past forty years, to where it is now the most popular white wine available. Winemakers love Chardonnay because it is easy to grow, and produce high yields while wine drinkers love Chardonnay because of the wide variety of flavors it offers.
Similar wines from around the world
The Chardonnay grape (the "white" of White Burgundy), can now be found in every wine-producing country in the world, but the wines it produces are as different as the climate and conditions it finds itself in. Wines made from hot climates like Australia are very different from the cool climate Chardonnays of Burgundy or Carneros. In the former, intensity of fruit is emphasized, while the cool climate versions offer more structure in the form of acidity and often more mineral flavors. It's partly a difference in style, and partly a difference in terroir.
Smell and Taste
Chardonnay flavors are commonly influenced by the grape as well as the barrel. The grape influenced flavors include honey, apricot, pineapple, hazelnuts, lychee nuts, orange blossoms, tangerine, lemon, lime, apple, citrus oils, mineral flavors, grapefruit, fig, pear, melon, nectarine and peach. While usually the barrel imparts butter, vanilla, nuts, oak, butterscotch, smokiness and spice. Depending on where it's grown and how it's fermented, Chardonnay can taste semi-sweet or sour, full bodied or crisp.
Serving Chardonnay
Chardonnay is an ideal wine to order in a restaurant or serve at large events as it is a crowd pleasing wine at an affordable price. Chardonnay goes best with poultry or seafood, like lobster, crab or scallops. It can even go well with a light red meat dish. Good cheeses for Chardonnay include Gruyere, Provolone, and Brie. Bottle temperature should be around 50 degrees.