Things You'll Need:
- Chardonnay
- Wine Glasses
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Step 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.
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Step 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.
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Step 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.
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Step 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.'
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Step 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.
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Step 6
Remember the vintage, winery and any other label characteristics of the chardonnays you like, so you can find them again.
Comments
grapegirls said
on 3/13/2009 Gerri (right)is a staunch white wine drinker, but Chris and I both prefer reds. However, we recently came across a non-traditional Chardonnay that we could all live with. Just get out their and sip, you won't know what you like (or don't) until you try!:)