One of the myths purveyed by wine writers is that there's something out there called the "ABC movement," meaning that there's a widespread demand for "Anything But Chardonnay." Nothing could be further from the truth, in fact, for Chardonnay is flourishing in the world's vineyards and is increasingly popular among wine consumers.
Take a couple of statistics. In Australia, some 31,000 hectares were planted in Chardonnay in 2005, and that's a nine-per-cent increase over the year before. In fact, not only is Chardonnay Australia's most widely planted variety, it's exceeded only by Shiraz, which is Australia's top red and has 41,000 planted hectares.
Then there's California, where Chardonnay is the single most planted variety, white or red. Not only does Chardonnay account for a quarter of all California wine sold in the U.S., but the volume of Chardonnay sold is more than the next two varieties combined. Those are Merlot, whose sales are flat right now, and White Zinfandel, whose sales are in decline. Chardonnay, on the other hand, is registering buoyant sales with a healthy year-on-year increase.
What is it that accounts for the popularity of Chardonnay? Maybe it's simply the wide range of styles it comes in. Chardonnay is often called "the winemaker's grape" because it's relatively neutral and can be coaxed in a number of directions according to the winemaking process.
The most common distinction is between unoaked and oaked styles. Some people prefer their Chardonnay to have had no contact with barrels, either during fermentation or aging. The icon of this style is Chablis, whose classic characteristics are lean texture, fruit purity and minerality.
But many Chardonnay lovers prefer the toasty oak flavours and fuller texture that barrels give the wine. There are many gradations of oakiness, from the subtle "kiss of oak" cliche loved by wine writers to the full-on flavour that seems better described as oak marinated in Chardonnay than Chardonnay influenced by oak. There seems to have been a move away from this often-heavy use of oak. It too often masks the fruit flavours and makes you wonder if the oaking is used to hide inferior fruit.
Another potential reason for the popularity of Chardonnay is that it's pretty well universally planted. Look in the LCBO and Vintages and you'll find Chardonnays from Ontario and British Columbia, California, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa ... There's hardly a wine-producing country that doesn't turn out a version of the variety. Its universality doesn't seem to be a drawback. It just means that if you're loyal to a particular country, chances are you can get a Chardonnay from there. I suspect, though, that the variety generally trumps geography, and that most consistent Chardonnay lovers go for the grape first and the region second.
Finally, there's price. There are decent Chardonnays in the $9 to $12 range, and great Chardonnays in the $20 and much higher price brackets. That's not true for all varieties, by any means.
Anything But Chardonnay? I don't think so. This grape is on a roll.
Today, three Chardonnays and a Merlot.