The Beloved Chardonnay
March 22, 2009 by The Winery
Filed under Types Of Wine
Chardonnay is a white wine that is the most popular white wine that is consumed in the United States and Europe. This wine is developed from a grape that is grown in many locations. It is a light colored green grape the when cultivated properly can take on flavors that will dazzle you. These grapes are now grown is places like Australia, New Zealand, California, Chile and South Africa. This grape is also the base grape of most Champagnes that are processed today.
The American and French Chardonnays wine makers are rich with oak and vanilla flavors and have proved to be the most complex wines. This flavor of wine was originated in France where burgundy’s and champagnes were most popular. It was born from the white burgundy of France which used a different grape initially, but as they discovered it could not be prepared with the Aligote grape alone, it needed the think skinned green Chardonnay grape to make it complete.
Chardonnay grapes are prepared in a way that is creates the oak and vanilla flavors by fermenting in oak barrels. Fortunately for chardonnay lovers, it does not have to ferment as long as it’s red wine counterparts. Unlike red wines, Chardonnay should be served chilled and enhances foods such as chicken, fish butter and cheeses primarily because it is less acidic.
The processes in which this wine is made can alter the taste dramatically. American wineries will ferment their chardonnay without the added oak. This will produce a softer wine that will have a different flavor. When it is aged with the oak added the end result will have the smoky, vanilla scent and the flavor of caramels and butter. These special grapes are used for chardonnays are also the grapes used for champagne and sparkling wines.
The grapes used to produce this wile is now ranked eighth in the world; cultivating an estimated 140,000 hectares (which is a form of European measurement). These vineyards spans among Italy, Australia, France and America. It is the most popular and therefore, the most consumed white wine today.
