Selecting the correct wine glass when drinking Chardonnay is very important. Good Chardonnay is a complex wine, starting from the growing of the grapes, through to the making of the wine. A huge number of factors come into play for the vineyard manager and the winemaker, making good chardonnay arguably the most difficult white wine to make consistently well.

Chardonnay as a wine style has been up and down in terms of popularity over the past decade, due to over supply and some poor quality wines flooding the market and damaging the image of chardonnay – and yet the wine style survives. Average Chardonnays are in abundance but great chardonnay is still a wine to behold, probably the best white wine most capable of handling a wide range of food styles, and the complexity of chardonnay is something that continues to appeal to my palate, whether it is fashionable or not. Excellent wines of any style never go out of fashion.

Chardonnay wine makers are on the most part individuals with a passion fro the variety and who dedicate their careers at least in part to producing what they hope will be a gold medal Chardonnay. In France Chardonnay is grown in the the Burgundy region and in the 1970’s it was not uncommon for chardonnay to be called White Burgundy in some countries, although whether or not these white burgundies were actually made from chardonnay grapes is debatable.

The modern chardonnay is generally accepted as being the domain of New World wine producers – California, Australia and New Zealand, all make stunning complex chardonnays of different styles that reflect the terroir and climates of the growing regions within each country. What enables so many different flavors and bouquets to emerge from great chardonnay is down to the different techniques that can be employed during production. Chardonnay typically will be a blend of grapes from several vineyards, involve several fermentations, be aged partially at least in new oak barrels – all factors that add up to complexity and individuality of a great chardonnay.

Once you have found your Chardonnay that you believe hold the flavors you wish to experience, now is the time to bring out your special Chardonnay glasses – glasses that have the perfect bowl shape to direct the wine to the correct area of your palate. A Chardonnay glass designed specifically for the drinking of chardonnay wine, will hold and release all the bouquet secrets that the wine has to offer.

With all the effort gone into producing a great Chardonnay, the final act of consuming the wine should always be done with the perfect glass.