Mom’s Weekend

The first time I ever went wine tasting and thus experienced a (not out of a jug) Chardonnay was in college. I was on Whidbey Island in Washington with my friends Jackie, Julie, Jordie and Alex. I had recently turned 21 and it was Mom’s weekend at Oregon State. My mom died when I was young so my friends Jackie and Julie would come for mom’s weekend to take me on an adventure. I had babysat for their families for years at this point. The year we went to Whidbey Island the mom’s brought their two daughters with them. Alex and Jordie are only a few days apart and at that point they were ten years old or so. We drove the 300 miles from Corvallis to spend a long weekend having fun and getting away from all the shenanigans happening at OSU.

Wine Tasting

I don’t remember much of how we spent our time that weekend, except that the car ride was super long and there was a hot tub where we stayed. The other thing I do remember is that it was the very first time I went wine tasting. Jackie and Julie were, and still are, expert wine tasters. Their recommendation for a me, as a newbie, was to start with Gewürztraminer. The grape variety has high natural sugar and the wines are white and usually off-dry. It’s the perfect wine to start out with since it’s very sweet and light. I LOVED it.

But they then had me move on to Chardonnay. Not as sweet as the Gewürztraminer but the next step in my wine tasting journey. There are so many Chardonnays out there. Anywhere you go you can find a semi decent option on the menu. Actually, when I took an Introductory Sommelier course last summer mentioned it often. They said that it was the most commonly asked for white wine in any of the restaurants they had worked in.

Chardonnay History

I can see why it’s popular. It’s versatile and known for it’s ability to be grown in quite a few different climates and regions. This includes Burgundy (France), California (USA), Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and South Africa, among others. This global presence means there are many different Chardonnays available to consumers. It can be crafted to take on many different flavors. From from crisp and unoaked to rich and buttery, appealing to a broad spectrum of wine drinkers. Chardonnay also pairs well with quite a few food options including seafood, poultry, creamy pasta dishes, and cheeses.

Recently I took a trip to the Burgundy region of France with a plan to go wine tasting. This is considering I was now and fancy pants, having passed my introductory sommelier exam! I picked a tour which included a tasting that was expensive, but was in Vosne-Romanée. A well respected region that produces some of the best and most expensive wines in the world. I’ll share more about that particular wine tour at a later point, but for now let’s just say that I bought some wine. One of the wines I purchased was the most delightful, delicious, divine Chardonnay I’ve ever experienced.

My friend Jackie that I mentioned earlier has a son, Nick. Nick works in Oregon on a farm that grows among other things, wine grapes. He’s my buddy when it comes to drinking wine. So when I needed a place to ship my wine from Vosne-Romanée, I sent it to Nick. I knew he would know how to store it and he wouldn’t give me shit about how much I spent on it.

The night we ended up drinking it Jackie and I had done a nice long hike and went to have dinner with Nick after. I told him to pick a bottle out of the six I had sent back from France and we’d enjoy it with dinner. He ended up make a fabulous meal that paired so well with our wine. I was having such a great time that I didn’t even take a moment to take a picture of the bottle!

Overall, Chardonnay’s popularity remains high due to its adaptability, widespread availability, and appeal to diverse preferences. Take this as a sign that you should head out as soon as you can to grab a bottle and enjoy it with some friends.