What Style Of White Wine Does Chardonnay Make
Chardonnay is a very special white wine style, in that it’s really good at expressing the place where it’s been grown and techniques used in the winery. It’s also relatively easy to grow and adapts well to different climates, so you’ll find it all across the world’s principal wine regions. The grape itself is relatively neutral, with fresh appley aromas, but techniques such as oak ageing , malolactic fermentation and lees stirring all add different layers of flavour and complexity.
Chardonnay Wine: A Non
McKenzie Hagan | August 31, 2020
When it comes to Chardonnay wine, its reputation precedes it both good and not so good. Even if you don’t regularly drink this popular white wine, you’ve certainly seen it mentioned in countless mom memes. Or maybe you watched Renée Zellweger use it to drown her sorrows in 2001’s “Bridget Jones’s Diary.”
Much like once-maligned Merlot,Chardonnay was overproduced for a time particularly in the 1990s leading to its notoriety as a cheap, overly oaky, and “uncool” wine. But this dry and versatile white wine is here to stay, and wine lovers aren’t going to let a few sour grapes ruin the whole show.
In this guide, we’ll review everything you need to know about this persistent varietal, including where it originated, where it’s grown, what it tastes like, and how it’s produced. We’ll also share tips for how to best enjoy this enduring white wine, including ideal serving temperature, tasty food pairings, and the type of stemware to use.
Chardonnay Styles And How To Find Them
If youre just getting started with Chardonnay, heres what you need to know. There are 3 primary styles of Chardonnay. Once you learn the secrets to this grape, youll be able to find great Chardonnay wines on your own.
Since Chardonnay is made everywhere, you can begin to familiarize yourself with regional differences. The climate plays a lot into these differences, although things like can play a hand.
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What Are The Types Of Red Wine
While there are numerous types of red wine, we will focus on the most popular ones in this post. Wine enthusiasts are more than likely familiar with this list of red wine types:
- Cabernet Sauvignon
Even if these types of red wine are familiar to you, you may wonder how to tell if a red wine is sweet or dry. Lets start by covering the red wines that typically feature a sweeter taste.
Best California: 2017 Baileyana Firepeak Chardonnay
Courtesy of Wine.com
This is the part of the list where we give a shout-out to the Edna Valley in Californias Central Coast as a hotbed for awesome and affordable chardonnays thanks to its long, robust growing season and Mediterranean climate. A true standout among them is the 2017 Firepeak Chardonnay from Baileyana. This winery began as a boutique vineyard at its founding in 1973 but has since become an Edna Valley champion.
With elegant peachy aromas, crisp apple, pear and tropical accents, this wine has just a touch of oak. Bold, mildly acidic and with a rich complexity, it pairs well with seafood. Also worth mentioning is that this wine is a pretty great value.
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What Is The Difference Between Glass And Crystal
All crystal is glass, but not all glass is crystal. In general, the difference in lead content determines whether something is classified as glass or crystal. The presence of lead softens the glass in crystal, making it easier to cut and engrave. Unlike traditional glass, crystal is heavier and diffracts light. In traditional lead glassware, the lead tends to leach out of the crystal. To combat this, todays crystal glassware is typically unleaded.
When deciding between crystal and glass, consider the environment in which the wine glass will be used and your washing situation. You may choose to purchase some of each, so you can use either glass in the correct situation depending on your needs.
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Balletto Vineyards Twin Ridges Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
A shining example of responsible oak use, this Chardonnay treads a delicate path between bright fruit notes and subtle richness. White flowers combine with a sprinkling of vanilla on the nose, while the palate serves racy acidity and well rounded texture around a stone fruit core. This release is a wine club exclusive, but Balletto consistently produces excellent wines, so signing up might not be such a bad idea. Average price: $39. Rating: 92.
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Chardonnay Finds Its Balance
In the past couple decades, a new wave of Chardonnay has been born. This Chardonnay is less oaky, and more refined. Its the partially-oaked Chardonnay wine. A wine with elegance and freshness where the best features of the fruit are brought to light. When oaking is dialed back, it allows the wine to age incredibly while still reflecting the terroir of its birth. The best of these balanced Chardonnays come from Sonoma California, and in particular, the Russian River Valley.
This change and variety in flavors and styles has often left wine drinkers perplexed: Is Chardonnay sweet or dry? What style was my Chardonnay made in? How many calories in a bottle of Chardonnay wine? Lets find out.
Chardonnay Brands: 2022 Best 27+ Brands Worldwide
Chardonnay is a grape variety with green skin that is a vital ingredient in the making of white wines. The grape variety originated in eastern Frances Burgundy wine region, but it is now farmed all over the world, from England to New Zealand. Growing Chardonnay is viewed as a rite of passage for new and expanding wine regions, as well as an easy entrée into the international wine market.The Chardonnay grape is flavorless in and of itself, with much of the flavors associated with the wine coming from the terroir and oak. From the crisply mineral wines of Chablis, France, to New World wines with oak and tropical fruit aromas, Chardonnay wine brands are simply the best.Furthermore, many sparkling wines, notably Champagne and Franciacorta in Italy, use Chardonnay as a primary ingredient. In this article, well show you the best buttery chardonnay wine brands.
So when you take a tour around the world you would know what wines you should be drinking.
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Pairing Food With Dry White Wine
Dry whites are best paired with fish, meat and salads. They can be used in making dips and cream sauces. However, they taste best with seafood.
Avoid serving dry whites with soft cheese. Instead, serve it with dry red wine or wines with high residual sugar levels.
Not a fan of dry white wines? We got you covered. Read our latest blog on Best Sweet and Fruity White Wines for beginners.
What Makes Wine Sweet
Sweetness in wine is a much clearer concept than dryness and can often be discovered by smelling wine. If you get a sweet fruity aroma from a wine, the odds are that the wine will be sweet or semi-sweet. This is due to the low acidity and low amount of tannins imparted by the light-skinned grapes used during fermentation. Wines that have the flavor of figs, raisins, or jam are some of the most common sweet wines.
Often the addition of additional sugar in wine will also overpower any dryness that naturally occurs. This is why fortified red wines are often much sweeter than their more natural counterparts. Wines like vintage ports can be surprisingly sweet while still being such a deep red that you should still invest time in learning how to remove red wine stain.
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Champagne Chardonnay: Old World Cool Climate
Yes, you guessed it. Champagne, France, is the home of its namesake drink, the bubbly white wine you pop on New Years, anniversaries, birthdays and other celebratory events. Sparkling champagne is, in fact, made from chardonnay-based grape blends. However, the same region produces its own type of chardonnay with distinct primary flavors and aromas.
Chardonnay from Champagne, France will be elegant, refined and semi-dry, pushing stone fruit flavors like peach and nectarine to the front of the palate. The cold, wet climate of this northern region shields the grapes natural acidity. Its unique porous and chalky soil also helps absorb some of the tangy minerality so pronounced in other French chardonnay, lending this type a rounder, smoother finish even when left unoaked.
What Does Chardonnay Taste Like
Given its relatively neutral base grape, there is no single set of characteristics defining all chardonnay. Instead, the flavors and smells noted while you drink will be affected by where the grape was grown , then how the wine aged .
Explore chardonnays primary and secondary to get an accurate taste description and help you select your perfect chardonnay bottle.
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What Chardonnay Tastes Like From Different Climates
Climate can have a massive impact on Chardonnays final profile. Chardonnay from cooler regions such as Burgundy, Coastal Chile, New Zealand, and Oregon exude lighter notes of quince, lemon and yellow apple. Warmer climates like California, South Africa, and South Australia produce Chardonnay that expresses ripe, tropical flavors of pineapple, apricot, and star fruit.
Early Mountain Quaker Run Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
The Quaker Run Vineyard is a relatively new site for Early Mountain, a Virginia winery that offers a bounty of high quality varietal wines. Aged for one year on lees in European oak casks, the wine then spends an additional 5 months on lees in stainless steel. Its profile is rich as expected from the style of winemaking but concentrated orchard fruit notes shine bright throughout. Average price: $42. Rating: 94.
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Hartford Court Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2020
Sonomas Russian River Valley has proven caliber on the high-quality Chardonnay front, and this expression is a fine example. Ripe and baked stone fruits arrive in luxurious harmony along with the influence of 9 ½ months of French oak aging. Subtle mineral texture on the palate provides the icing on the cake for this classic California Chardonnay. Average price: $35. Rating: 89.
Best Under $: 2018 Flora Springs Family Select Chardonnay
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With its misty mornings and sunny afternoons, Napa Valley has the natural climate for peak chardonnay production. Winemaker Ken Deis at Flora Springs knows how to romance the land to make that chardonnay soar. Their refreshing 2018 Family Select was aged for ten months in French oak barrels, culminating as one of the top bottles representing the region, variety and vintage.
Bold, dry, and easy to love, this wine is creamy, lemony and toasty with a nice mineral tension. Make it a match with shellfish, creamy soups and sauce-covered meats.
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White Wine Sweetness Chart
Weve organized the white wines here on a scale from dry to sweet. Youll find that there are more dry wines than sweet wines. In fact, most of the white wines that youre probably familiar with are dry white wines. Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay are both dry, as is Sauvignon Blanc.The dry white wines have been organized into groups by tasting notes. Even though these white wines aren’t sweet, they still have a lot of variation in flavor! For example, Sauvignon Blanc is dry and acidic, with citrus and herbal flavors. On the other hand, oaked Chardonnay is rich and creamy, with apple pie and pineapple flavors.If youre a person who likes sweet white wine, but youre looking to branch out a little bit, you can learn which dry white wines to try based on the flavors in this chart. A rich Chardonnay, with its dessert-like flavors, may be a good place for you to start.The chart also shows sweet wines, from Moscato and Riesling to dessert wines. You can learn more about those types of sweet white wine below.
Is Pinot Noir sweet? How about Merlot? Find out in this helpful article. Red Wine Sweetness Chart
Best Australian: 2017 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay
Courtesy of Wine.com
Between the regulating ocean breezes, the warming coastal current, and the oldest gravel loam soils in the world, Australias Margaret River region on the continents south-western tip has a confluence of ideal conditions for making excellent wine. The folks at Vasse Felix exploit this pristine landscape to their best advantage with their Heytesbury Chardonnay. The 2010 vintage won 11 wine show trophies and put their chardonnay on the map. This 2017 vintage is a delicious continuation of that tradition of excellence and acclaim.
Oaky and buttery, with notes of lemon, grapefruit, peach and honeydew, this bottle harbors both nutty and toasty elements with a crisp acidity. The fruit flavor is strong with this one and its immensely satisfying, boasting a hearty finish on the way down.
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How Is Chardonnay Wine Made
As with all types of wine, Chardonnay winemaking begins in the vineyard with the grapes being harvested, pressed, and fermented. As detailed in our essential guide to viniculture, if the wine is interrupted before the fermentation process is complete, there will be more residual sugar, resulting in a sweeter wine. If the winemaker lets fermentation run its course , it’ll be a drier wine with lower sugar levels.
For Chardonnay, the winemaker must also decide if oak will be part of the equation. If the goal is to produce a crisp and bright Chardonnay, the vintner will forego oak and opt for stainless steel to ferment and store the wine before bottling. Doing so reduces oxygenation, which helps to retain the white wine grape’s fresh character.
When a wine producer wants a more full-bodied Chardonnay with that signature buttery taste and those woody, vanilla notes, then the wine will ferment and age in oak. Or, it could ferment in stainless steel and then age in oak barrels afterward.
The Essential Guide To Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the worlds most popular white wine, and for good reason. Its made from green-skinned grapes that adapt to a variety of climates, and they produce versatile wines in many price points. Chardonnay can be crisp and clean, or rich and oaky. Theres something for everyone, which is why Chardonnay is so beloved.
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A Brief History Of Chardonnay
Chardonnays origins stretch back a thousand year, and many of those years are shrouded in mystery. It wasnt until quite recently that scientists discovered Chardonnay grapes to be a crossbreed of half Pinot Noir and half Gouais Blanc.Gouais Blanc originated in Croatia, spread throughout the Roman empire, and today is all but extinct. We are incredibly lucky that nature took its course and gave us the gift of Chardonnay.
Types Of Wine Perfect For Winter
What better way to toast up the chillier season than with a toast? House of Townend describes the winter palate as being comfort-oriented: meats, broths and sauces, and soups tend to be all the more heavy, all the more indulgent, and filling. It’s classic to pair these meals with full-bodied red wines that are just as heavy alcohol-wise and rich in tannins. There’s just something about a rich red that marries well to the tempo and atmosphere of a heavy autumnal or winter dinner.
But winter wines don’t necessarily need to be red. After all, what would New Year’s be without a crisp sparkling wine? And Thanksgiving without, say Asti, a sparkling Italian wine , to cut through the encroaching food coma? Even House of Townend notes that a full-bodied white wine can help brighten up a heavy meal or, if higher in acidity, cut through what may otherwise be an overwhelming richness. Gourmet Hunters advises to look for a white wine with the “soul” of a red wine: complex, yet creamy. For wine aficionados and neophytes alike, there’s a world of wonder awaiting long after the summer solstice passes. Here are 10 distinct winter wines that bring a lot to the plate and the palate.
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How To Describe The Taste Of Wine
So, to recap: red wine is red because it was fermented with the skins, making it more tannic. White wine has less tannin, and is more acidic. Dessert wines have higher alcohol content and are usually sweeter, and sparkling wine has bubbles.
Easy, right? Of course not. Stopping at red vs. white wines would be like ending a discussion on vehicles at cars vs. trucks. If were going to peg the kind of wine that you enjoy drinking, were going to have to get a bit more specific. Yes, that means were going to have to talk about how a wine tastes.
This is where wine drinkers lose most of us. There is perhaps nothing more subjective about humanity than taste, and trying to find common ground when talking about wine seems ill-fated from the start. But in spite of the glut of snobby descriptors for wine that youll stumble across, there are a few terms that mean pretty much the same thing to everyone.
What Are Sweet Wines
If a white wine or sweet sparkling wine contains over 30 grams/liter residual sugar, its a sweet wine. And it all comes down to stopping the fermentation process , so there are still grape sugars left. And drying the grapes, letting them overripe, or using Botrytis also produces sweet wines.
So, they are often called dessert wines because of their sweetness and because they pair well with your favorite dessert!
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