How to Choose a Chardonnay

White wines made from chardonnay grapes are as popular as they are esteemed. This general outline makes it easy to choose a good one.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Chardonnay
• Wine Glasses

1. Take some time to learn about styles of chardonnay. The country or state where the wine is produced makes a difference, influencing everything from growing conditions to style of winemaking.
2. Compare chardonnays from different regions. You'll notice that chardonnays from France tend to express fewer of the fruity characteristics of the grape but seek a balance between the nonfruit and fruit aspects, while California chardonnays tend to emphasize the fruit and rely on much more oak influence.
3. Find out about the effects of weather on different styles of wine. Grapes have a difficult time ripening during any season in Burgundy, which is France's major chardonnay-producing region. But California rarely sees a season when grapes don't fully ripen. Riper grapes yield more fruity characteristics.
4. A wine with a designated subregion is usually of a higher quality than one with just a general regional designation. Notice when a label says 'Carneros' or 'Santa Maria Valley,' for instance, instead of just 'California' or 'North Coast.'
5. Notice that some wines are labeled even more specifically, and see if you detect a higher-quality wine to go with the predictably higher price.
6. Remember the vintage, winery and any other label characteristics of the chardonnays you like, so you can find them again.

Tips & Warnings

• Some outstanding Australian chardonnays can now compete with the best examples from France and California.