Friday, June 27, 2014

Chardonnay – A Wine of Mystery!

According to many sources, Chardonnay originated in Lebanon, but rumor has it that it’s actually Israeli – stolen by the French Crusaders who took it back to France and made a wine called Sha’ar Adon-nay, which translated from the Hebrew, means ‘The Gate of God'. Others maintain that it is part of the Pinot family, a hybrid grape from Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc on one side and a lesser-quality grape called Gouais Blanc on the other. Or finally, maybe it’s a grape indigenous to Chablis in France where by law, no other wine grape can be grown!

Winemakers love Chardonnay because the vines are easy to grow and have a high yield. And wine drinkers? We love Chardonnay because of the wide variety of flavors it can take on.

But wait…the diversity goes on! Depending on where it's grown and how it's fermented, Chardonnay can taste creamy, buttery, nutty, smoky or steely (yes, that's a thing — and not a bad one). It can vary all the way from crisp and smooth to a full heavy oaky finish, semi-sweet to sour, with popular fruit descriptors like apple, tangerine, lemon, lime and melon.

Either way, Chardonnay really hit its prime when it started being cultivated in California. In the past 40 years, it has grown immensely to where it is now: the most popular white wine available, growing on some 400,000 acres worldwide!

So what does this all this mean to you? Well, everything and anything you want it to. Chardonnay can truly be the PERFECT wine for ANY occasion!

Ready to try a few to compare some of Israeli's best offerings? Click here to visit the Chardonnay page on the Jerusalem Wine Club's online store...