Wine of the month - Chablis

Chablis, like many French wines works so much better with food

Chardonnay has gone in and out of fashion just like skinny jeans. Back in the 1990's the Australians made powerful Chardonnay with lots of oak and for a time we fell in love with them. But ten years on and the saying was ABC, 'anything but Chardonnay'. Since then Sauvignon Blanc has stolen the show and the perennial favourite Pinot Grigio.

Chardonnay doesn't have to be uber powerful, in fact, it can be delicate fresh and citrus and makes one of the best wines in the world, Chablis.

Chablis is in the Burgundy region of France. South East of the champagne district of Reims are the limestone hills and flat lands of Chablis. With its cooler continental climate the Chardonnay grape is hardly recognisable from its Australian cousin.

Chardonnay is one of the two main wine grapes found in Burgundy. The principle red being Pinot Noir (also Gamay to the southern regions). The wines from this area have to contend with cool/frosty mornings and random weather patterns. Rain can be a real problem and so to are short summers.

The requirement for grapes is that they need time to develop. Sun is required to ripen grapes. The shorter the season, or the less heat, the less sugar/alcohol and the 'greener' the taste. Unripe grapes will be bitter and incapable of delivering the fruit tastes that we expect and make wine enjoyable. Conversely in warmer summer climates too much sun will lead to over alcoholic wines stealing the fruit flavours. It's a question of balance.

In Chablis it's a struggle for ripeness but that struggle is what leads to its success. If a vine is given all the nutrients, sun and water it wants it will provide a tasteless wine that will be watered and without fruit flavour. Vines need to be treated mean so they expend their energy into producing flowers and grapes that would attract wildlife and thus the seeds will be deposited in other areas.

Chablis benefits from its limestone and clay soils. These limestone soils impart a steely mineral nature to the wine and this is what Chablis is famous for.

At the entry level the communal/regional vineyards blend their wines from each vineyard and offer good value (also Petit Chablis from the surrounding fields outside Chablis). These wines tend to offer green plum fruit and high acidity.

Don't be put off by higher acidity. This is what gives wine it's freshness. Even sweet dessert wines have surprising amounts of acidity. Also good acidity works beautifully with food. Try a sea bass with fresh coriander salsa and a crisp well chilled Chablis. The two together enhance the overall experience. Many French wines work so much better with food.

Next time you want a wine for your dinner look out for a Chablis. Supermarket chains are now selling entry level for £6. However, be prepared to pay £10 and more if you want a finer quaffing experience.

Food & Wine by Paul Sheerin
Pshearse@gmail.com