You still up for a little Chardonneetje?

Chardonnay. You love it or you hate it. At least, it sometimes seems like that’s how it has to be. Alongside arch-rival Sauvignon Blanc, it has become the Ajax-Feyenoord of the wine world. One person is a Chardonneetje fan, while the other spits on it. High time to let go of all the prejudices. Chardonnay can do anything, after all.

Chardonnay may well be the best-known grape in the world. Even the most inexperienced wine novice will recognize the name. And in America, there are hordes of girls who go through life as Chardonnay. Because their mothers fell head over heels for the buttery-soft Californian liquid in the 1990s. That was more about the wine style than the grape, by the way. But how were they to know that chardonnay could also end up in the bottle as an ultra-dry wine.

Buttery chatter

When someone asks for a Chardonneetje, they expect a full-bodied white wine with rich vanilla and oak notes. A cheerful, no-nonsense wine without Sauvignon Blanc’s mouth-puckering acidity, tasting like a creamy butterscotch. Nothing wrong with that, but it is pretty intense. In the end, the style went so far over the top that the grape’s image suffered as a result.

but the ABC movement – short for Anything But Chardonnay – triggered a strong backlash

Anything But Chardonnay

A rattling rebellion emerged. A shame for all those adorably named girls, but the ABC movement – short for Anything But Chardonnay – triggered a strong backlash. Everyone was fed up with that excessive juice. Our white wine had to be dry again, with sparkling, fresh acidity in the glass. Chardonnay was suddenly passé.

From Montrachet…

Nonsense, of course, because chardonnay is a chameleon. The grape appears in every possible wine guise. From creamy and buttery-soft to crackling dry. It grows everywhere and can be shaped to suit any style. Did you know, for example, that almost all the magnificent white Burgundies are made from chardonnay? Fantastic wines such as those from Chassagne-Montrachet, Pouilly-Fuissé and Meursault. But the saline Chablis – nicknamed oyster water because it pairs so well with them in terms of flavor – is also made from this grape.

And many of those hated Californian Chardonnays from back then are simply good these days too; full-bodied, but delicious

…to Blanc de Blancs

It’s in a glass of champagne nine times out of ten, too. If it’s a Blanc de Blancs, the bubbly is made entirely from it. And many of those hated Californian Chardonnays from back then are simply good these days too; full-bodied, but delicious. You have to like it.

Who still dares say they don’t like Chardonnay? Well, only if you really don’t like white wine at all, perhaps.