July Varietal and Region: Sonoma Chardonnay

World Wine Groups Says...

Chardonnay is usually the first wine that a taster trys and for good reasons, it is one of the most widely distributed wines in America and many other countries.  However, Chardonnay's come with many different tastes and prices.  Great on a summers night and with chicken and fish!

Bottles You Can Buy

Chalk Hill Chardonnay 2005

Ferrari Carano Chardonnay 2006

Food Parings

Chardonnay is a light white wine who's flavor can be overpowered by strong meats or sauces.  Try fish or poultry; cheeses and fruits also go well.

About the Wine

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is believed to have originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new and developing wine regions, growing Chardonnay is seen as a "rite of passage" and an easy segue into the international wine market.^[1]

The Chardonnay grape itself is very neutral, with many of the flavors commonly associated with the grape being derived from such influences as terroir and oak.^[2] It is vinified in many different styles, from the elegant, "flinty" wines of Chablis to rich, buttery Meursaults and New World wines with tropical fruit flavors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chardonnay