This wine is the perfect food-pairing partner. Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular white wine grapes. Its origins come from France where it has been growing for centuries. It can now be found in winemaking regions across the world, such as California, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, and parts of South America and Canada. Harvesting time is crucial as the grape rapidly loses acidity as soon as it ripens.
Typically, Chardonnay wines exhibit fruit flavours ranging from tropical and stone fruits to citrus and apple. The styles of Chardonnay can range from heavily oaked and toasty to light and unoaked. Oaked Chardonnays have a buttery, vanilla, spice and creamy flavour to them, whereas unoaked Chardonnays tend to be more crisp and fresh.
Chardonnay is often used in the production of Sparkling wines around the world, Champagne being the most famous. However, in Canada, Chardonnay can be used to produce sweet Icewine. The Chardonnay vine is found in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. Pair a full-bodied Chardonnay with rich, textured foods such as avocado, risotto, or white fish. Unoaked Chardonnays go well with fresh shellfish such as lobster or shrimp.
In summary, Chardonnay has the following characteristics:
One of the world’s most popular white wine grapes
Origins come from France
Found in most winemaking countries
Flavours in Chardonnay are unique to winemaking techniques
Typically has a fruit forward flavour
3 typical styles: unoaked, oaked, and steel barrel- fermented
Often used for the creation of sparkling wines like Champagne
Can be used in Icewine in Canada
Found in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec
Chardonnay goes well with many different types of food
