Chardonnay Wines and all about it: The Beginners Wine Guide

Almost synonymous with white wine, Chardonnay is the most popular white wine that has had its roots in Burgundy. A wine that feels like you are holding sunlight in a glass, Chardonnay is a wine that is a favourite to many. The taste and feel of this beauty exceed its reputation. And Chardonnay Wine is a must-have in a  collector’s rack. A chardonnay wine gift basket is thus elegant and class wrapped beautifully in a basket. The heartwarming Chardonnay Wine is an ideal gift for every occasion.

History of Chardonnay:

Popularised in the 1980s, Chardonnay has been in the business for a very long time. The earliest recorded mention of the Chardonnay wine dates back to the 1330s. Chardonnay Wine originated from the vineyards of Burgundy and it used to go by many names then like Montrachet, Meursault, Pouilly-Fuissé and Chablis. Later in the 1880s, Chardonnay found a second home in California. Since then Chardonnay wine has not lost its charm. A wine with history, a wine that’s worth gifting. 

The ABC movement:

When one talks about the history of Chardonnay it's impossible not to mention the ABC movement. The ABC movement stood for Anything But Chardonnay. Not everyone was a fan of the Chardonnay wine, it was heavily criticised and labelled as too oaky or too buttery. It was the anti-chardonnay wine movement. But nothing was able to take away the pure bliss that Chardonnay wine was.

Anything But Chardonnay is organized by the basic types of wine: red, white, bubbly, and dessert. There are wine drinkers out there who are proud members of the ABC club – they’ll drink “Anything But Chardonnay” and make it publicly known. Chardonnay is just one of those grapes that people seem to love. We embarrassingly fell into the latter category at one point, but to be fair, that was before learning about the versatility of this widely-planted variety. 

What is Chardonnay Wine?

The Chardonnay Wine is made from the Chardonnay grape which is easily cultivated. It’s a white wine with moderate acidity and alcohol and is often regarded as the most compelling white wine of all. It generally tastes less green and more delicate. It has an intense dry taste and includes flavours of citrus, pear and apple. And like every other wine, the Chardonnay wine’s taste also varies from place to place.

How is Chardonnay Wine made?

The making of the Chardonnay wine is an absorbing process and it includes many interesting steps. The winemakers harvest the chardonnay grape pretty early in the morning while the grapes are cool. They are transferred to bins and the juice and pulp are separated from the skin as soon as possible.

Then the grapes are pressed. The steed and wooden baskets are used to push out the juice from the grapes. The winemakers also add potassium metabisulfite or sulfur dioxide gas to neutralise the wine from any possible yeast or other microbial spoilage.

During the fermentation, the wine gets warm and foam is formed by exhaling fruit vapours. The yeast starts acting and sugar is converted to alcohol. Some winemakers do the fermentation in stainless steel barrels while others do it in oak barrels to give a chardonnay an exquisite flavour profile.

With the fermentation complete, and oxygen removed the wine is finally ready to be bottled.

Chardonnay wine and its characteristics:

Chardonnay wineis popularly addressed as the winemaker’s favourite as the chardonnay grape is easy to grow. And for that particular reason, Chardonnay is cultivated very widely. This gives chardonnay wine a very diverse taste profile. The taste of the chardonnay wine varies from place to place.

The average alcohol content in chardonnay wine ranges from 11-13% and the typical red chardonnay wine is dry, medium or full-bodied with moderate alcohol and acid content. Chardonnay WIne can also be classified as oaked and unoaked. The oaked Chardonnay Wine is fermented in oak barrels and they tend to be more expensive when compared with unoaked. The oaked Chardonnay wine has a distinctive creamy texture.

The Taste of Chardonnay Wine:

The basic taste of Chardonnay wine lies among the flavours of lemon zest, pineapples, apples and chalky minerality. The taste varies with climate and time of harvest. The grapes that are harvested during the cool season tend to be citrus and during the warmer seasons, the grapes lose their acidity and it tastes more sugary.

Apart from the texture, the taste is also different between the oaked and unoaked chardonnay wine. The oaked chardonnay wine taste includes flavours of coconut, vanilla and baking spices and factors like the shape of the barrel and length of contact with the barrel also play a huge role in developing the taste of chardonnay wine.

Ageability of Chardonnay Wine:

Of course, Chardonnay wine also gets better with ageing, but it's only for a limited period of time. And when the time crosses, the flavours shall start fading away and it would taste dull. The general ageability of Chardonnay is five years. They are released within 2 years in the shelf and must be enjoyed and not preserved for much longer. But there are exceptions, some vintage chardonnay from colder regions has the ability to survive after eight years. So if you are a fan of aged wines, then we would suggest you to go for an oaked vintage chardonnay wine.

Enjoying Chardonnay Wine:

The best way to enjoy Chardonnay wine the most is to pair it with the right food. Food pairing is as important as the temperature and stemware when it comes to the experience that drinking Chardonnay wine is. Some matching food pairings include delicious pasta, especially creamy pasta, seafood with butter and sauces, soups, vegetables, veal, shellfish, turkey, polenta, and grilled seafood especially grilled salmon.

The flavours that match the palette of the Chardonnay wine include ginger, mustard, risotto, avocado, tarragon, corn, hoisin sauce and oyster. The camembert cheese is the one to go for if you are a wine and cheese combo lover.

The Chardonnay wine must be served preferably at 50 Fahrenheit and can be chilled for a few minutes before serving for the perfect taste. To complete the experience one can serve it in the traditional white wine glass. The narrow rim helps in concentrating the scent of the wine right to the nose thus elevating the whole experience of drinking wine.

Where to find Chardonnay wine:

You can easily find the best Chardonnay wine and chardonnay wine gift basket at winestogift. They will be delivered to your doorstep or the doorstep of a dear one.

Chardonnay Wine is grown almost all over the world. You can find many major chardonnay wine-producing places. France is the elite when it comes to places of Chardonnay wine, as Chardonnay came from the barrels in Burgundy. Then we have Italy, the USA, and Chile. They are all known for producing extraordinary Chardonnay wine for the world.

But if you want to enjoy this remarkable wine or gift a classic bottle, then you can order online at winestogift.com and it can be delivered anywhere in the world. Wine shopping has never been this easy and fun. With absolutely gorgeous Chardonnay wine gift baskets, you can easily make your special one feel loved. Because Chardonnay wine is not just any ordinary wine, it's the business class of wines.

To stand witness to a wonderful time, avail the Chardonnay wine gift basket for the next big occasion and indulge yourself with a divine experience with the perfect bottle of chardonnay wine.