Chardonnay

The Chardonnay grape variety originally comes from the village of the same name in Burgundy and, thanks to its unique success story, has now risen to become the most important white wine variety in the world. Due to its wide distribution, Chardonnay produces different styles of wine. In Italy, the vine is called the "Chardonizzazione" is called.

Originally, it was not approved anywhere for the production of DOC wines. However, in order to prevent a development similar to that of the red Super Tuscans, some DOC areas have now been set up for Chardonnay wines with a single variety - for example in Trentino, South Tyrol and Piedmont. Elsewhere, single-varietal Chardonnays may be classified as IGT (for local wines). Chardonnay is particularly successful in South Tyrol and Umbria, where Antinori's Castello della Sala produces some remarkable barrique wines. Sparkling wines are produced from part of the grapes harvested in Italy.

Chardonnay has a wide range of aromas, from unripe apples to overripe gooseberries, melons, bananas and exotic fruits. The greatest secret of this renowned variety is its adaptability: Chardonnay thrives in cooler conditions as well as in the hottest areas. And everywhere he is able to produce exceptional top wines, which often represent the best wines of the respective country. The Chardonnay is of high growth strength. To ensure that the grapes are not shaded by leaves, extensive thinning work must be carried out during the growing season. The vine reliably delivers quite high yields. Somewhere beyond 70 hectolitres per hectare lies the border for the Chardonnay. In addition, even under the best external conditions, it can only produce thin, modest wines.

The Chardonnay sprouts early and its berries occasionally grow unevenly. Some clones have a pronounced tendency towards dwarfism of the berries. Only very few producers who focus on very high quality and lowest yields appreciate this fact. In cool, wet weather during the flowering season, the Chardonnay tends to trickle very strongly, which reduces the yields. However, if the weather is good, the quality can improve considerably. Otherwise, the vine in the vineyard is extremely undemanding. It finds its way on all soils suitable for viticulture. The Chardonnay is only sensitive again towards the end of the vegetation period when the ripening period has begun. Its berries are very thin-skinned and are susceptible to gray rot at harvest time when it rains heavily. The choice of the right harvest time is very important, because a rapid reduction of acidity begins from the moment the wine reaches full ripeness.

The best Chardonnay wines are unique and inimitable: full of fruit and with an impressive body, they are characterized by incomparable complexity as well as deep and oversized nuances. SUPERIORE.DE