All About Wine And Its Goodness!

Chardonnay grape is the most popular type of white wine, found all over the world. The flavor, taste, and aroma of it will though, depending on where it was made and what processing methods were used. Chardonnay has a variety of different styles and flavors, and remains a major type of grape. As a result of it’s popularity, this fine wine spread throughout Europe and other locations of the world. As more and more wine makers discovered Chardonnay, the fine wine began to grow quite well in South Africa and other areas as well. With it being a non aroma type wine, oak seems to work very well with it. The richest and most complex are American and French Chardonnay, which are also among the most preferred white wines.

Chardonnay originated from the Burgundy and Champagne area of France. Although white Burgundy is a popular wine that is prepared with Aligote, a lesser known grape, the fact remains that white Burgundy can’t be made without the use of Chardonnay grape. What this goes to show, is that Chardonnay grapes have more than a few uses. In appearance, Chardonnay grapes are green in color with thin skins. The grape is a result of the Pinot and Croatian Blanc grape, which are extinct to this day. Chardonnay on the other hand is still popular, fermented and aged using oak barrels that help to bring out the vanilla flavor the wine is well known for. Almost all Chardonnay wines are considered to be chilled, making them work extremely well with dishes that contain butter and cheeses. The wines also have less acid content as well, which makes them work well with seafood as well.

The Chardonnay grape can also be used in making Champagne and other types of sparkling wines. Although Chardonnay wine is the most popular use, there are several other uses for the grape that lead to some truly fine wines. You can find it at any wine or alcohol store – making it a great addition to your wine or drink collection, said the author who’s a lawyer in Auckland. He used to own a shop trading in baby clothes and cosmetics.

Pinot Noir Chardonnay is the term the rest of the world, outside Champagne, use to describe a sparkling wine. In the past the European Union took measures to protect the name of Champagne, the winemaking region in France, the wine community then began referring to Champagne as ‘Pinot Chardonnay’ after the styles of grapes used in its production.

Besides the name, nothing much has changed in the way of taste and texture and the wines themselves are still as exciting and enjoyable as Champagne. Needless to say that most Pinot Chardonnays are produced using the same methods as its French counterparts.
Big name distrbutors Moet and Chandon even list a few hidden Pinot Chardonnay gems in the inventory lists.$$$   Some are produced in a fine estate in the prestigious wine growing area of the Yarra Valley of Australia.

Some particular ‘Sparklers’ of note also originate from New Zealand, especially in the North Island.

There has also been some spectacular successes (and failures) over the years during the experimentation with various grape varities.  Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, in fact, most of the red variety grapes combine well.  There is a good reason that you don’t find a Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay.  However, the combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with the sparkling fermentation process has resulted in a great success.

The Pinot Chardonnay series has proven to be very popular for social events like picnics, BBQ’s and wine bars, which is why they are commonly distributed in 200ml and 375ml sizes.  Packaging and delivery of sparking varieties is also easy thanks to the advancements of technology in these areas over the years.

Probably the most exciting point of Pinot Chardonnays is because they are called Pinot Chardonnays and not Champagne they are nowhere near the same price…you win.

Set up a blind tasting of your own one day and see if you and your friends can pick the difference.

Follow the link for more information on Chardonnay wine varieties.

There are a great number of different wines available – many more than you may have even imagined. If you’d like to find out more about how to match up different wines with your food, then a good place to start is with some of the more popular wine varieties before you start to explore more esoteric grapes.

Oh, and before we get started, if you love to try new wines, then you can’t go wrong with a wine of the month club, they’re fun and you’re always expanding your wine palate.

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular wine varieties:

Cabernet Sauvignon

Often abbreviated to the less-than-lovely name ‘cab-sav’, the flavorful cabernet sauvignon is a classic French wine that is one of the most widely recognized red wine varieties.

This full-bodied red wine blend can be the ideal accompaniment to a fine steak, a roast lamb or on its own as a drinking red wine.

Merlot

Merlot should ideally be a very soft red wine that is also quite rich without the high tannin levels of other reds. Whether on its own or blended with a great cab-sav, merlot is lovely served with chicken or can an excellent drinking red wine.

Shiraz

Also known as Syrah, Shiraz is a deep red colored, medium bodied wine whose flavor includes hints of black pepper and berries. This is one of the best wines to go with barbecue as well as many other meat dishes. Shiraz can be aged for a long time and improves well with age.

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