No More ABC's, Please

Posted 04/16/2008 at 07:45 AM by Ben

he latest issue of the Wine Spectator [May 15, 2008] is devoted to America's most popular varietal -- -- surprise, surprise, Chardonnay. I'm not being arch here. This really is a surprise to me after all the Chardonnay bashing we've been subjected to over the last few years, particularly the A-B-C [Anything but Chardonnay] argot, which I've always suspected was launched by the producers of competing varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Viognier.

The magazine reports that, according to Impact Databank, an industry survey that tracks retail wine sales, Chardonnay remains the most popular varietal in America. In 2007, 64 million cases of domestic and imported Chardonnay were sold in the United States, which is more than twice that of its nearest competitors, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Not only that, sales were up roughly 4 percent over 2006, which means that Chardonnay's popularity is still growing.

There are lots of reasons for Chardonnay's continued popularity, but in my opinion the most important reason is it's adaptability to so many different climates and soils. This adaptability leads to a wide range of styles, which is another way of saying that there's not really just one Chardonnay, but many.

If you like your Chardonnay lean and racy, you would probably prefer a Chardonnay from Burgundy or from New Zealand. If you like them big, rich, and buttery, Chardonnay from Australia or California will definitely fill the bill. Then, there's lots of variations in between these stylistic extremes, from places like Chile, Argentina, and Italy. Add to that the latest stylistic twist, un-oaked Chardonnay made without barrel fermentation or oak aging, and there is a Chardonnay for virtually every taste and pocketbook.

Given Chardonnay's durable and increasing success, maybe it's time for the makers of Sauvignon Blanc Blanc, Riesling, Viognier to cease-and-desist from pushing their A-B-C campaign -- -- or to start producing Chardonnay.

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