Chardonnay is the most famous white wine in the world. It's a soft pleasant White wine† It has a full ripe buttery soft taste with a fresh and fruity aroma† Both the dry and sweet variant of the chardonnay is very popular among wine connoisseurs.
Below have the most important information about the chardonnay explained. But how familiar are you with the world famous chardonnay?
Chardonnay wine in short
Standard aroma's from chardonnay wine:
- Pineapple
- Appel
- Peer
- Blossom
- Mango
- Citroen
- Peach
- Melon
AROMA's of with wood maturation:
- Butter
- Biscuit
- vanilla
- Toast
- mushrooms
AROMAAs the wine ages:
- Almond
- Hazelnut
Properties of the chardonnay wine:
- Few acids
- Each chardonnay wine is pleasantly soft
- shelf life chardonnay gives a bright yellow to pale gold color
- The taste differs per wine region
- Neutral aroma† tastes adapts to the place where it grows
- Combine with many different dishes
- fresher chardonnay goes well with salads and shellfish shellfish
- A full, round variant is better suited with creamy fish or sauces
- Chardonnay from oak barrels is ideal with smoked screw or chicken
Origin Chardonnay grape
Originally comes chardonnay grape from French Burgundy. And this grape variety is still planted there. Scientists have shown with the help of DNA research that this grape variety descends from Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc. The grape variety Gouais Blanc itself descends from Croatia. You could therefore say that this variant has returned to Croatian soil after a search and some crossings.
De chardonnay grape is loved by every winegrower. It grows practically everywhere and the yield is almost always good. The proceeds of chardonnay wine range from 30-100 hectoliters per hectare. That is why this grape variety has been planted all over the world. Only in some French regions it is not cultivated. This is mainly in the Bordeaux region.
Chardonnay from Croatia
Chardonnay is one of the most common white grape varieties in Croatia. It is present in all regions, including in Dalmatia. In Istria it is often cultivated in a special way. The chardonnay wine out Istria is usually rich in scents of fresh fruity aroma's. Often the variant contains Istria also high acids. In addition, it is ripe in taste and has a moderate alcohol content.
There are several wineries that mature this wine in small oak barrels to get a particularly interesting result. It takes on a more intense and pungent flavor and a richer, more mature character. An alcohol percentage of more than 13% is no exception. All this gives this wine a greater complexity with different aroma's.
In the north of Croatia, in the regions of Međimurje, Zagorje, Prigorje and Plešivica, the Chardonnay wine usually has a light and more fresh taste. It has a much milder profile, is a bit sweeter, and often has a mild fruity aroma from apple and citrus. Aside from this lighter style, a few vintners have achieved very renowned results with this variety. This is due to the more intense sweetness and a delicious aroma of apricot and honey.
In eastern Croatia, in Slavonia and Podunavlje, changes the Chardonnay more in a stronger and serious wine, with a fruity and delicious character. As the Chardonnay in addition, can mature in oak barrels and produced using the so-called sur lie technology, the wine achieves an extremely high quality. In the Podunavlje (region along the Danube) becomes the Chardonnay produced with a strong and full character, which is almost buttery in texture, with a high alcohol content and various ripe aroma's.
The flavors of Chardonnay
As time goes by and the wine has been allowed to mature for longer, it develops into a much better strain. It gets a flavor profile of exotic fruits, butter, nuts. Higher quality wine that has matured on oak barrels takes on a pleasantly vanilla-like aroma.
Which also affects the chardonnay wine is whether the grapes grow in a cooler or warmer climate. Chardonnay from a warm climate has much more aroma reminiscent of hazelnuts, dried fruit, grilled almonds, butter, lime blossom, popcorn, oak, acacia, walnut, biscuit, pineapple and mango. Chardonnay wine from a cooler area has a flavor profile and aroma's of apple, pear, melon, exotic fruits, citrus fruits.
Wood aging or aging in steel tanks
In addition, the grape can also be aged in different ways. This also gives other flavors. Chardonnay loves aging in wood, especially oak barrels. The oak barrels give the chardonnay wine a completely unique character. The wine is hereby, just like Red wine, usually more complex and fuller in taste.
The wine also ages well in steel tanks. But then it gets a completely different taste, it looks a little bit like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. But this one will certainly not be the same. The wine from steel tanks is a bit fresher, fruitier and softer than Pinot gris, Riesling, Grasevina and Sauvignon Blanc.
Is chardonnay sweet wine or is chardonnay Dry wine?
Chardonnay grapes are extremely suitable for making high-quality wines. These can be used for both dry White wine whether sparkling wine is used. But chardonnay can also be a sweet White wine to be. The sugar content of the grapes can be very high. If the acids are also high, this grape is able to produce very balanced wine. It then becomes a powerful and broad wine with a lot of fatness and volume.
Depending on the soil type and climate, chardonnay different wine styles. Livelier with more acids in the north where the climate is cooler. In the south with a warmer climate and more sun, the chardonnay wine rounder and fuller in taste.
What dishes do you eat with chardonnay wine?
Chardonnay goes in many directions in terms of structure and flavors. Depending on which variant you choose, there are several options to combine various dishes with it. A somewhat fresher version goes well with salads and shellfish shellfish. An ideal match with oysters, mussels and other salty foods shells. A full, round wine is more suitable olive oil, creamy fish or sauces.
The wood-aged wine is ideal with smoked screw as salmon, mackerel or fried chicken. Chardonnay is therefore the perfect accompaniment to various fish dishes, such as salmon, butterfish or lobster. But next to screw is this variant also good to combine with dishes from the grill, pumpkin risotto, quiche, poultry, pork and a lot of cheese Kinds.
Chardonnay wine in our range
Actually, there is a suitable one for everyone chardonnay to find. Whether it's a sweet one chardonnay is, a dry one chardonnay or a sparkling chardonnayBecause of its versatility you can go in all directions with a nice glass chardonnay wine!
Alternatives
There are many alternative wines for Chardonnay with similar flavor profiles. Some of them are Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, dry Riesling, viognier, Pinot Grigio, Graševina of Posip† Each of these wines has its own unique flavor profile, but all three are known for it dry and be crispy with high acidity. This makes them ideal alternatives for those who want to try something different. Alternatives like Pinot Grigio en Graševina are perfect choices for those who prefer crackling white wines with light citrus flavours.
