Chardonnay, the World's Favourite Wine

History of the Grape Varietal, its Arrival in the New World, Trends

Feb 19, 2009

Its origins are a mystery, but what is certain is that it was first planted in Mâconnais in France in the village of Chardonnay, from where it spread to the New World.

Some believe the varietal was fist planted in Lebanon and Syria, from where it found its way to Egypt before being brought to Europe by returning Crusaders. In France it is today one of the classic cultivars used for making champagne, and is also used for that country’s renowned Chablis wines.

Chardonnay Enters the New World

As the New World started developing its distinctive style of winemaking, it was inevitable that Chardonnay should become one of the favored varietals for cultivation. It is a highly adaptable grape, giving a fine expression of terroir. Having said that, it does favor chalk, clay and limestone soils.

Ironically, both in South Africa and in Australia, the varietal owes its success to some actions that were not 100% legal. In 1971, in Australia, winemaker Murray Tyrrell, winemaker simply hopped over a barbed-wire fence and appropriated some experimental chardonnay vines from Penfolds which he successfully planted in his own vineyard.

In South Africa, dominated as it was at the time by the K.W.V. which over-regulated the industry, Danie de Wet, a winefarmer from the Robertson area, along with Jan Boland Coetzee and others, smuggled plant material into the country from Europe. But ‘smuggled’ is such a harsh word when once considers that, and in doing so, they established the varietal in South Africa which leads to such a beautiful wine.

Chardonnay Flourishes in South Africa

Danie de Wet, considered a pioneer in the wine industry must have had little doubt the cultivar would do well in the area where he farmed. The Robertson area has the wonderful chalky soils in which Chardonnay flourishes in Europe. And flourish it did in Robertson, on Danie de Wet's family farm, De Wetshof.

But the wine industry in South Africa, like everywhere else, is not a static entity and is subject to taste fads and fashions. For a time Chardonnay was on everyone’s lips and many winemakers jumped on the bandwagon as they saw Chardonnay sales booming. This proved to be detrimental to the varietal’s prestige.

Due to the fact that South African winemakers had had little exposure at the time to vinicultural methods overseas because of the country’s political and cultural isolation, winemakers over-wooded their Chardonnays which drove many wine lovers away – and into the arms of Sauvignon Blanc, one might add.

Once again, De Wetshof proved to be a pioneer as it led the way with the country’s first unwooded chardonnay, Bon Vallon. Others soon followed, notably Springfield, also in the Robertson area and Constantia Uitsig, in the Constantia Valley. But is ‘unwooded’ necessarily Chardonnay’s destiny?

To Wood or Not to Wood

Many winemakers believe that subtle wood is essential to bringing forth the innate characteristics of the grape. Many of these Chardonnays are delightful, with a beautiful balance between vanilla and natural fruit and flavors. There are numerous Chardonnays to look for that have been awarded 5 stars by John Platter, the authoritative guide to South African wines, most of which are barrel-matured. But , increasingly, unwooded Chardonnays are seeing the light.

The copyright of the article Chardonnay, the World's Favourite Wine in South African Wine is owned by Johan Liebenberg. Permission to republish Chardonnay, the World's Favourite Wine in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.