Chardonnay: Love it or Hate it?
People tend to LOVE or HATE Chardonnay. Which one are you?
If you’re a Hater... stay with me here. I think this may be a little eye-opening…I’m not here to convince you…just sharing some info so you can understand why you like what you like and don’t like what you don’t.
I always knew the grape had a very polarized audience- with die hard fans who drink nothing else… and people who live by the ABC rule (Anything But Chardonnay.)
Here's Why. The nickname for the Chardonnay grape is “The Winemaker’s Grape” because it’s like a blank canvas to start with but can be changed, styled and affected greatly by the winemaking process. Decisions like when it was picked, how it was fermented, and what it was aged in will greatly change the style. And like all wines, WHERE the grapes were grown has a huge influence in how the wine will taste. (Chardonnay from Burgundy is very different than Chardonnay from Napa Valley, as the climates and soils are sooo different).
So I believe there is one of the largest spectrums of STYLE in Chardonnay, which is why people are either confused by it or just feel very strongly about it one way or the other.
You see, on one end of the spectrum are the richer, bolder, buttery/oaky styles (we call them Butter Bombs) and that style has a very loyal following, often stereotyped as the cliché SNL parodied middle-aged woman who loves her "Cougar Juice".... (I almost died the first time I heard it referred to as that....)
I believe that many people have tasted that style, didn’t like it and came to the conclusion “I must not like Chardonnay” and moved on to find other wine types they enjoyed. Sound familiar?
But do you know why certain Chardonnays smell, taste and feel creamy like butter in your mouth? It’s not from the grape itself. Those wines have gone through a secondary fermentation (called malolactic or MLF) that results in a natural compound being formed. It’s called diacetyl and it’s what they use to make movie popcorn butter. No wonder your wine seems buttery when that’s in there!
But not all Chardonnay is buttery- and not all buttery Chards are Oaky! Those elements come from 2 different processes.
If you prefer a wine that’s crisp and clean with lip-smacking acidity and little to no creaminess, you want one that hasn’t going through MLF. Most sommeliers and wine shop employees should be able to point you in the right direction once you know what to ask for.
Chardonnay aged in all new or mostly new oak barrels will show some vanilla, caramel and baking spices on the nose and in the mouth. Like that? Ask for a wine with a lot of oak influence. Avoiding that? Look for wine that has been aged in neutral (used) barrels or better yet, stainless steel.
A well-made, well-balanced Chardonnay that isn't overly-manipulated with some of these elements can be light, refreshing and well...mind-changing.
Another great tool is the (free) app, VIVINO. You don’t have it? Wait What? Stop and download it. Right now! I’ll wait…
I love that you can take a picture of any wine label and it brings up immediate information about that wine. I use it ALL the time in the wine store. One of the most helpful things in the app is a sliding scale rating the Light/Bold, Dry/Sweet, Soft/Acidic, Smooth/Tannic notes in each wine. And there are consumer reviews and it will tell you how many times a certain word like “butter’, “oak", or “crisp” is mentioned.Brilliant! Why didn’t I create that app?
The bottom line is before you make a bold sweeping statement like, “I don’t like Chardonnay”, try a few different styles. You may just find one that brings you joy and uplifts that meal in front if you to new levels of awesomeness.
Here's a link to the Total Wine Website. I used to shop there when I lived in Orlando and they have a great page with Recommendations for the different styles of Chardonnay. These are pretty mainstream and easy to find in your local shop (if you don't have Total Wine). Click here for Chardonnay Recommendations
Cheers!