Wine on the Radio - February 22, 2005

A Taste of the Tropics in Chardonnay

What is it about chardonnay that makes it our most popular white wine?  No doubt for many it’s the big buttery flavor and lush feel of it we know from California and Australia.  But there’s a lot more there there. 

We’re talking about tastiness.  To us many chardonnays seem to be a taste of the tropics… a taste of sunshine.  And it adds an exotic element to the wine.  It’s not plain ol’ chardonnay when you think of it that way. 

What do the tropics taste like?

Well, the flavors of banana and pineapple, passion fruit or papaya, coconut or kiwi, not to mention a squirt of lemon, are reminders of the sun on your face and balmy breezes.

What we taste in any wine is personal and individual, but it’s easy to overlook the subtleties – and tastiness – of chardonnay because of all that oaky bigness we’re used to. 

There’s more there that can make a better wine experience. 

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