ABC?

Or 'Anything But Chardonnay'? The much-maligned grape which for many people still suffers from an over-oaked reputation as a hangover from the late 80's and 90's. In fact it became so overwhelmingly fashionable through this period that often it was thought to be a brand rather than a grape variety. But Chardonnay is at the heart of a wonderfully varied selection of wine styles - at its best rich and complex, at its worst almost watery.

Chardonnay is one of the easier varieties to grow, and is the second most widely grown white grape in the world, after Airen in Spain. You'll find it not only in the more obvious regions such as France, Australia, New Zealand and Chile, but also as far afield as India, Uruguay and England - in fact pretty much everywhere that makes wine. Argentina makes some lovely examples. It is a grape that well reflects its terroir, and adapts to many winemaking techniques.

All white Burgundy is made from Chardonnay. These are some of the most expensive and spectacular white wines in the world, and are much copied - with varying degrees of success. Highly complex and concentrated (and with matching price tags) their characteristics can include notes of marzipan, steel, hazelnut and butter, depending on the vineyard, and will have great finish. They are also long-lived, which is rare among most whites. However, it is possible to find lovely burgundy style whites at a fraction of the cost - have a look at St Veran and Macon, or more interestingly in Limoux.

In the north of Burgundy you find Chablis, again made from Chardonnay. This wine however is flinty, crisp and steely - a world away from a Montrachet for example. Its name too has in some parts of the world (notably North America) become a synonym for a style of dry white wine, but it has been almost impossible to reproduce true Chablis style other than in its original region, growing on the Kimmeridgian clay (formed of billions of tiny fossilized oyster shells) that gives it its character.

Then there's sparkling wine and champagne. Chardonnay is one of the three key grape varieties that make up champagne (the other two being Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier), and the vast majority of quality sparkling wines - with notable examples coming from England incidentally. It's being introduced into some Spanish cava now, which traditionally has been made from Spanish grapes such as Macabeu, Parellada, and Xarel-lo, adding class and some familiarity.

Chardonnay is also added to blends all over the world to add body or finesse. And it's true to say that there are still many user-friendly examples on the shelves, richly fruity and balanced off by added acid. But if you're one of those people who says "Oh, I don't like Chardonnay..". think again and give some carefully chosen wines a go. You may be surprised.

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Styles Of Rioja

I often get asked about the meaning of words such as "Crianza" or "Reserva" on bottles of Rioja. Well, they simply refer to the ageing process of the wine. Spanish DOC wines (Denominacion de Origen Calificada) are governed by very strict rules (as are AC wines in France) regarding their manufacture, grape variety, maturing standards etc. The majority of Rioja is aged in small oak barrels (225 litres), made from American oak, which gives it that distinctive vanilla and leathery flavour. Different styles are aged for different periods of time.

First there is Vino Joven, literally meaning "young", which is a wine that may or may not have spent some time in casks before being bottled. Not much of this gets to the UK, so it's a bit of a rarity.

Next comes "Crianza", which literally translates as "rearing" or "nursery". This must be at least two years old before release, and have spent at least six months of its maturing in oak casks - the rest in bottle. Moving on to "Reserva" - these must be at least three years old, of which one year in casks, and are generally wines from selected vats of the better vintages.

Top of the tree is "Gran Reserva" which should be produced only in exceptional vintages. These red wines must be at least five years old before release, having spent at least two years in cask and three in bottle. As with other styles, these are minimum requirements, and many winemakers mature their wines for much longer than is stipulated.

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