Pick the Grape

Directions

Try this quick and easy quiz to test your knowledge of wine varietals. We’ll give you the key flavours, you name the wine. Ready… GO

Peach… Rockmelon… Citrus

Did you pick Chardonnay ? Congratulations! Now try this one:

Pear… Fig… Butterscotch.

Sorry, that was Chardonnay again.

Oatmeal… Cashew… Marzipan.

Bugger. Still Chardonnay. Here we go…

Cucumber… Gunflint… Lanolin.

Oh for heaven’s sake.

Chardonnay can be a slippery little sucker to pin down. Climate, region and winemaking practices all have an enormous influence on the finished product. So if you’ve ever had a hankering for cashew and fig, but ended up with rockmelon and pineapple, this WineDown is for you.

Where does your chardy come from?

If you said ‘the fridge’ - go and sit in the corner.

In Australia, Chardonnay grows pretty much everywhere. Our diverse geography gives rise to a huge range of styles – from the delicious ‘sunshine in a glass’ slurpers of warm climate Riverland , to intense white peach and grapefruit zingers from coastal Margaret River , and elegant, citrus and mineral tipples from cool climate Yarra Valley .

Think in terms of ripeness: Chardonnay’s flavour profile moves from ripe tropical fruits (pineapple, guava, mango) in warm climates, through melon and stone-fruit, to citrus and green apple in cooler climates.

Oaked v Unoaked

Chardonnay loves oak, which adds colour, body and flavour to wine. Many Aussies are ardent fans of oak-matured Chardonnay - with its rich, buttery, nutty and vanillin characters.

On the other side of the Quercus divide are the equally enamoured fans of un oaked (or nude) Chardonnay. Unoaked Chardies are bright, zesty, fruit-driven wines similar in style to Pinot Gris or Sauv Blanc.

Ironically , Chardonnay in the nude usually comes from colder climates, where consumption in the actual nude is extremely unlikely.