It may be a wee bit early to call it a definite trend, but I believe that Chardonnay is on its way back as a preferred white wine of consumption.

Chardonnay has always been one of my favourites and it has never really gone away as it is one, if not the, white grape that makes the white wine world go round.

There have been intermittent stretches of time where lots of folks were just making plain awful stuff, so bad or low quality in Australia it was re-branded as ‘Kardonnay’ ala Kath and Kim – not what you want to happen to your premium grape brand!

In my view, as wine growing and wine making has spread around the world, each respective area goes through various temporal fits and starts as it comes to grips with a variety of issues (e.g., local climate, soil, skills and experience and techniques, wine style, etc…) in making wine.

Even with some relatively clear models to follow (e.g., Burgundy for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), it does take many vintages (if not generations of wine makers) to iterate and evolve towards a truly pure, albeit local, expression of the grape. And even then, some wine folks would argue that Australian Chardonnay will never reach the same heights or levels that the pinnacle wines (e.g., Burgundies again) achieve, because some things you just cannot change or copy (like soil or local terroir or climate or centuries of experience).

That said, I do think Australian (and our close cousin New Zealand) Chardonnay has come along way from the quality and style called ‘Kardonnay’ and are most definitely worth a retry and at a minimum, step out of the way of the New Zealand Savalanche!

So head out to the wine shops mentioned below and snatch a bottle or two of these…

Plan B! Chardonnay Margaret River 2007 $10

This is an AWESOME wine for the price – currently available at www.getwinesdirect.com at 151 – 167 Burnley Street, Richmond for the amazing price of only $10 a bottle (if you pay cash or buy a dozen). I would most definitely run, not walk, down there and snatch a few of these bad boys (or girls) up and introduce yourself to what a well made Australian Chardonnay can be like without whacking your wallet too hard. This wine oozes butter and butterscotch flavours, with just the right acidity and a wonderful, rich creaminess on the palate and just the right amount of bottle age. As the winery’s web site so aptly states – “Be cool. Be seen with Chardonnay. Chill. Pour. Drink. Repeat as necessary.” And keep your eyes peeled as Plan B! also make a stunningly good Shiraz that also carries the value price of $10 at getwinesdirect.com – but you gotta act fast as it literally flies out the door!

Mount Macleod Chardonnay Gippsland 2008 $18 - $21

This wine was highly recommended by my Chardonn-atic mate James at Armadale Cellars (which carries the Mount Macleod @ $17.95). This is the 2nd label of a winery called Caledonia Australis, which gets a five star rating from James Halliday (and 91 points for this Chardonnay) and specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Founded in 1995, Caledonia Australis’s goal is to produce quality Burgundian style wines and they seem to be achieving that goal with the swag of awards and trophies. This is also a beauty but in a different style to the Plan B! with a more citrusy, clean finish but still loads of stone fruit flavours coming through. I would say it’s a class act to accompany a nice piece of pan-seared fish – get cook’n!

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