I hate chardonnay but I love Chablis (oh, really?)

Posted by winesleuth in France | 4 comments

It used to amuse me to no end when I worked in a wine shop and people would tell me that. I mean, Chablis is by definition 100% chardonnay. What they meant was they didn’t like rich, oaky, buttery, often New World (I see you Australia and California, trying to slink out the back door) Chardonnay.

But on second thought, it is rather worrying. I mean, how can you NOT know what you’re drinking? It’s a sad fact of wine, especially European wines, that people often don’t really know what they’re drinking. Sangiovese is the varietal ( or grape) and is what Chianti is primarily made up of. Rioja is the name of the region and the wine, tempranillo is the varietal used to make it. I could go on but you get the idea.

I got an invitation the other day from the generic wine body Burgundy Wines to promote their grand tasting and seminar on Chablis. The tasting is going to be held at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden on November 5th. It’s funny, I love opera but the only time I ever get to go to the ROH is for winetastings! Anyway, they are also going to be holding a seminar to re-introduce us to the fundamentals of Chablis from Petit Chablis to Chablis Grand Cru and all the intricacies in between.

I can’t wait to sink my teeth into White Burgundy. And that’s another thing, White Burgundy, Red Burdundy, why don’t they just call it chardonnay and pinot noir? Maybe that’s an idea for the next seminar….

The tasting is for trade only but if you drop a line to natalie.eude@fleishmaneurope.com and tell her The Winesleuth sent you, they’ll let you in. If you’re interested in learning more about chablis visit their website www.chablis.fr and to learn more about Burgundy in general, visit www.burgundy-wines.fr