Chardonnay is a small village in Burgundy and is the town that gave the grape its name. Wine lovers dispute its origins. However, one thing is clear. As a grape chardonnay was virtually unknown until outside France in 1980.
According to Google Books, between 1979 and 2003, usage of the word chardonnay moved up rapidly, by 700% from an admittedly low level. All this does is to reflect just how interesting chardonnay has become for people who make wine and drink wine. 30 years ago, there were just a few hundred acres of vineyards with chardonnay grapes in California. Now it is the most popsular wine variety in the United States. According to an ongoing study by the University of Adelaide, chardonnay is now the fifth most popular grape variety across the globe.
It is a popular wine which can be bought at many price levels. And it is exactly this popularity that is making wine buyers ask interesting and relevant questions. What makes a wine? What is marketing and what is reality? What is the difference between chardonnay sold for USD 6, for USD 60 or even for USD 6,000? Thank goodness this is a ‘word of the day’ feature and we do not have to provide the answers.
