“What can I get you?”
“Erm, I’ll have a glass of white wine please. Not Chardonnay though, I can’t stand Chardonnay! Ooh I know, I’ll have a glass of Chablis if you have it?”
This is the age-old joke amongst those of us in the wine trade, a conversation quite often had between bartender and punter, with the bartender trying to stifle a giggle at the stupidity of it all. Because Chablis IS Chardonnay. Chablis is just the name of the region where this wine must be made, while Chardonnay is the grape it must be made from. The key here though is that Chablis is very rarely oaked. When it is, the effect is so elegantly subtle you wouldn’t know it.
The ABC Brigade was founded on the back of the huge wave of cheap, mass-produced Chardonnay coming out of the New World (particularly Australia) back in the 80s-90s. At around £3-5 per bottle, unsurprisingly it became hugely popular very quickly - so much so that Chardonnay became the newly popular name for baby girls born in the late 90s. After years of Hock and Blue Nun, this dry, full-bodied, buttery offering was a welcome relief. Sales went through the roof and winemakers started digging up their less popular vines and replanting them with this little money spinner.
But to produce such cheap wine, these winemakers had to cut corners and find ways of reducing costs in any way possible. One major cost at the winery is that of ageing, particularly with oak, so the introduction of oak chips was inevitable. Oak chips can be placed into the tank of wine either during fermentation or ageing, and they impart intense oak flavour in just a matter of weeks (compared to the years it takes when ageing the wine in oak barrels). But the resulting wine can be so intensely oaky (those butter/vanilla/spice flavours you so associate with Chardonnay) that it overpowers the lovely peach/melon flavours of the juice itself. Having said that, there’s a high chance that all this over-oaking was the perfect way of hiding a multitude of sins in the base wine...
As is often the case with flavours that are so completely OTT, we soon got sick of it and went in search of the most thin and flavourless liquid we could slip down our throats, which we soon found in the shape of cheap, mass-produced Pinot Grigio - now one of the biggest selling white wines in the UK. But declaring oneself part of the ABC Brigade means that you are missing out on one of the World’s most widely planted and versatile grape varieties. What you hate is not Chardonnay but the cheap oak flavours that come from bad wine-making. Chardonnay itself is actually a very subtle, soft wine so it is the influence of soil, climate and winemaking techniques that you are tasting in that glass in front of you.
Chablis
It is believed that this is where Chardonnay was first planted by monks back in the 12th century. Here the use of oak is often rejected as many winemakers believe it smothers the characteristic Chablis flavours that come from the local “terroir” - green apple- like acidity, stony/pebble aromas and gentle notes of honey. Those winemakers that do use oak go for more neutral types which don’t impart those vanilla characteristics but rather soften the wine by gently allowing in oxygen, making it less austere and acidic. This wine is a perfect introduction to the beauty of the Chardonnay grape, and goes perfectly with light fish/shellfish dishes.
White Burgundy
South of Chablis, the dominant grape variety in Burgundy is still Chardonnay but here oak-ageing is more prevalent. However, no corners are cut in this area of the world and, while you’re paying fairly big bucks for your bottle, you know you’re getting a good quality wine here. The winemaker will have invested a lot of money and time into this bottle, so the oak will have been given all the time it needs to integrate into the wine resulting in a softer, more silky smooth sip - perfectly paired with slightly richer fish dishes and white meats.
The area in the north known as the Cote d’Or is famous for some of the most expensive Chardonnays in the world, with a deep concentration of flavours and gentle hazelnut aromas from the oak. Puligny Montrachet shows quite steely, crisp aromas and flavours while Meursault tends to be the most round and buttery.
The area in the south is the Cote Chalonnaise and Maconnais regions. Being rather warmer than the Cote d’Or, the wines produced are fuller-bodied and softer, with Pouilly Fuisse being the most famous and expensive. Look out also for Mercurey , Montagny and Rully.
New World Chardonnay
If you consider yourself part of the ABC crowd, the key here is to look for wines that specifically state on the label that they are “un-oaked” or “un-wooded” - a trend that has come about as a response to the ABC backlash. With these unoaked Chardonnays you will get all the lovely tropical, soft white fruit from the wine without any of the oakiness. Yalumba “Y Series” Unwooded Chardonnay (Barossa Valley, Australia) is a perfect example of this, full of pineapple, peach and quince fruit flavours and grapefruit acidity. Available to purchase from everywine.co.uk and winedirect.co.uk at around £7 per bottle.
Sometimes a Chardonnay may be unoaked but the producer won’t indicate this on the front label. This is where, for once, the tasting note on the back label will be a good indication of whether or not there’s any oak involved. Any indication of “vanilla”, “butter” or “toast”, steer clear if you’re completely anti these oaky flavours. You’ll find that, because the USA is a big producer of oak, most Californian Chardonnays are quite heavily oak-aged, so I’d suggest you steer clear of these.
Chardonnays from cooler regions are also a good bet. Look out for New Zealand and Argentina. The former is much cooler thanks to its latitude and vineyards’ proximity to the sea, while the latter has the benefit of the Andes which allow producers to plant their vineyards high up away from the heat. The result is wines that are crisp, clean and generously fruity without being too confectioned. They won’t necessarily be unoaked, but the style will be rather closer to Burgundy than Australia. Catena Chardonnay (Mendoza, Argentina) is what I consider to be Argentina’s finest example of the Chardonnay grape, lots of tropical fruit yet all the class of a Meursault courtesy of cool fermentation and the use of French oak (which imparts more hazelnut, spicy aromas than the American buttery sort). Available from Waitrose, everywine.co.uk and Majestic at around £8-9 per bottle.
If I still haven’t managed to convince you after you’ve tried some of these beauties, then I give up - go back to your Pinot Grigio and your Sauvignon Blanc, you philistines. But rest assured - you’ll get bored of these too eventually, and then what? As you tuck into a beautiful bottle of Chablis, I will be smugly muttering “I told you so...”
Monday 23 August 2010
Saturday 21 August 2010
Holly's "How to Taste"
People think that wine “tasting” makes you a pretentious bastard. But all my friends that have now tried it have admitted, however begrudgingly, that for the first time they can taste the difference between grape varieties and even the difference between wines from cooler and warmer climates. So not only does it help them choose wine they’ll actually like, but they also have a lot of fun in the process.
Step One: Look
Pour yourself some wine. Ok, hold it there - you only want a small sample or this won’t work. So just two fingers into a decent sized glass. Hold the glass at an angle, preferably against a sheet of white paper, and look at the colour. If it’s a white wine, is it lemon, gold or amber? For red, is it purple, ruby or verging on brown?
The colour of the wine is determined by age, grape variety and region. White wines develop from water white to lemon yellow to dark amber as they age. Reds go from purple/pink to ruby and finally to brown. The warmer the region, often the more opaque the wine will look. So a young Shiraz from South Australia will be very dark but still very much purple.
Other observations worth making: are there bubbles? (this could either be a very young, spritzy wine like Muscadet or, of course, a sparkling wine). As you swirl the glass you may notice the wine runs slowly down the inside of the glass, and this is what we call ‘legs’. Lots of legs indicates the wine is either higher in alcohol or sugar, so New World wines tend to have more legs than Old World wines because the grapes are often much riper. Dessert and fortified wines tend to be pretty “leggy” too.
Step Two: Smell
This is where the sample size is important as you don’t want to pour it down your front (definitely not a good look). Swirl the wine around the glass to get some air in there, and then stick your nose in and have a smell. By mixing air into the wine you’ll get the maximum aromas possible. What can you smell? Citrus/white/tropical fruits? Grassy leafy aromas? Nuts? Vanilla? The possibilities are endless!
Step three: taste!
This is the fun part. You’ve all laughed at Oz Clarke, it’s now your turn. Take a sip and, as you do this, take some air with it, sucking through your front teeth (why do you think us wino’s always avoid the dentist?). Then make sure you let the wine get to every corner of your mouth, let it coat your cheeks. Avoid gargling. The flavours often echo the aromas in wine, particularly in young New World wines. Just remember that as a wine ages (so long as it’s of good quality) it will develop more non-fruit aromas and flavours (e.g. the petrol in Riesling and the farmyard in Pinot Noir), making it a more complex, exciting wine.
REMEMBER! Wine tasting is very personal, perceptions differ so don’t be scared to say what you think. Here are some basic guidelines to help you on your way.
• Citrus fruits, grass, elderflowers, and gooseberries suggest Sauvignon Blanc. Warmer climates produce riper fruits (e.g. pineapple). If you like this, try out Spanish Albarino, Austrian Gruner Veltliner.or English Bacchus.
• Melons, peaches, vanilla and butter, suggests Chardonnay. Again the warmer the climate the riper the fruit flavours. Vanilla/nutty/buttery flavours indicates the wine has been aged in oak barrels. Unoaked Chardonnays are a great bet if you don’t like this as they’re all about the fruit. If you like this, try some Viognier, Chenin Blanc, or Pinot Gris from the New World.
• Limes, flowers, flint or petrol, suggests Riesling (the petrol thing isn’t bad but is indicative of an aged Riesling or one from a hot climate like Australia). Riesling comes in all kinds of styles. Some German versions are particularly divine. Just make sure you go to a decent wine shop that can recommend something to you.
• Rose petals, turkish delight and lychees suggests Gewurztraminer. Try drinking this with really pungent cheese like Munster as it’s the only wine with enough va-va-voom to stand up to it
• Blackcurrant, chocolate, tobacco and mint suggests Cabernet Sauvignon. If you like this, keep your eyes peeled also for Cabernet Franc, Cab Sav’s less aristocratic first cousin. Merlot is also very similar (I often mistake it for Cab Sav in blind tastings!) but a little riper, softer and easier to drink.
• Blackberries, black pepper and chocolate suggests Syrah (aka Shiraz, courtesy of the Aussies). If this is to your liking, try bagging yourself some South African Pinotage or Argentinian Malbec.
• Raspberries, strawberries, violets and ‘farmyard’ aromas, suggests Pinot Noir (the ‘farmyard’ thing is classic of aged red Burgundies, not so obvious in New World Pinots which are far more jammy). Pinot Noir tends to be a lighter red wine - perfect for summer drinking. If you like this, look out for Grenache or Beaujolais (the proper stuff, eg Fleurie, NOT “Beaujolais Nouveau”).
• If you can smell musty old socks or wet dog send it back, it’s corked!
Step One: Look
Pour yourself some wine. Ok, hold it there - you only want a small sample or this won’t work. So just two fingers into a decent sized glass. Hold the glass at an angle, preferably against a sheet of white paper, and look at the colour. If it’s a white wine, is it lemon, gold or amber? For red, is it purple, ruby or verging on brown?
The colour of the wine is determined by age, grape variety and region. White wines develop from water white to lemon yellow to dark amber as they age. Reds go from purple/pink to ruby and finally to brown. The warmer the region, often the more opaque the wine will look. So a young Shiraz from South Australia will be very dark but still very much purple.
Other observations worth making: are there bubbles? (this could either be a very young, spritzy wine like Muscadet or, of course, a sparkling wine). As you swirl the glass you may notice the wine runs slowly down the inside of the glass, and this is what we call ‘legs’. Lots of legs indicates the wine is either higher in alcohol or sugar, so New World wines tend to have more legs than Old World wines because the grapes are often much riper. Dessert and fortified wines tend to be pretty “leggy” too.
Step Two: Smell
This is where the sample size is important as you don’t want to pour it down your front (definitely not a good look). Swirl the wine around the glass to get some air in there, and then stick your nose in and have a smell. By mixing air into the wine you’ll get the maximum aromas possible. What can you smell? Citrus/white/tropical fruits? Grassy leafy aromas? Nuts? Vanilla? The possibilities are endless!
Step three: taste!
This is the fun part. You’ve all laughed at Oz Clarke, it’s now your turn. Take a sip and, as you do this, take some air with it, sucking through your front teeth (why do you think us wino’s always avoid the dentist?). Then make sure you let the wine get to every corner of your mouth, let it coat your cheeks. Avoid gargling. The flavours often echo the aromas in wine, particularly in young New World wines. Just remember that as a wine ages (so long as it’s of good quality) it will develop more non-fruit aromas and flavours (e.g. the petrol in Riesling and the farmyard in Pinot Noir), making it a more complex, exciting wine.
REMEMBER! Wine tasting is very personal, perceptions differ so don’t be scared to say what you think. Here are some basic guidelines to help you on your way.
• Citrus fruits, grass, elderflowers, and gooseberries suggest Sauvignon Blanc. Warmer climates produce riper fruits (e.g. pineapple). If you like this, try out Spanish Albarino, Austrian Gruner Veltliner.or English Bacchus.
• Melons, peaches, vanilla and butter, suggests Chardonnay. Again the warmer the climate the riper the fruit flavours. Vanilla/nutty/buttery flavours indicates the wine has been aged in oak barrels. Unoaked Chardonnays are a great bet if you don’t like this as they’re all about the fruit. If you like this, try some Viognier, Chenin Blanc, or Pinot Gris from the New World.
• Limes, flowers, flint or petrol, suggests Riesling (the petrol thing isn’t bad but is indicative of an aged Riesling or one from a hot climate like Australia). Riesling comes in all kinds of styles. Some German versions are particularly divine. Just make sure you go to a decent wine shop that can recommend something to you.
• Rose petals, turkish delight and lychees suggests Gewurztraminer. Try drinking this with really pungent cheese like Munster as it’s the only wine with enough va-va-voom to stand up to it
• Blackcurrant, chocolate, tobacco and mint suggests Cabernet Sauvignon. If you like this, keep your eyes peeled also for Cabernet Franc, Cab Sav’s less aristocratic first cousin. Merlot is also very similar (I often mistake it for Cab Sav in blind tastings!) but a little riper, softer and easier to drink.
• Blackberries, black pepper and chocolate suggests Syrah (aka Shiraz, courtesy of the Aussies). If this is to your liking, try bagging yourself some South African Pinotage or Argentinian Malbec.
• Raspberries, strawberries, violets and ‘farmyard’ aromas, suggests Pinot Noir (the ‘farmyard’ thing is classic of aged red Burgundies, not so obvious in New World Pinots which are far more jammy). Pinot Noir tends to be a lighter red wine - perfect for summer drinking. If you like this, look out for Grenache or Beaujolais (the proper stuff, eg Fleurie, NOT “Beaujolais Nouveau”).
• If you can smell musty old socks or wet dog send it back, it’s corked!
My First Blog
Welcome to my wine blog!
This is my first ever attempt at blogging so please bear with me. My mission here is to help demystify the World of Wine with wine reviews, articles on grape varieties and wine regions. If you're reading this and there's a subject you'd particularly like me to cover, please do let me know - all input and feedback will be gratefully received!
I hope you find this not only useful but also fun to read.
Holly x
This is my first ever attempt at blogging so please bear with me. My mission here is to help demystify the World of Wine with wine reviews, articles on grape varieties and wine regions. If you're reading this and there's a subject you'd particularly like me to cover, please do let me know - all input and feedback will be gratefully received!
I hope you find this not only useful but also fun to read.
Holly x
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