Anything But Chardonnay Club
aprl 07 2011
Yes, there is an “Anything But Chardonnay” club, dubbed “ABC”, that from what I gather is anti anything Chardonnay. While I am not a club member, I have become mostly disenfranchised with Chardonnay. Or at least Chardonnay NOT from Burgundy. Chablis, the steely crisp Chardonnay from the Chablis region, or White Burgundy….YUM – Love it (or at least some of it)! Yet much (but of course not all) of the other stuff – POSERS!
I’m no Francophile, but I do believe that there is something magical about the wines of Burgundy. Pinot Noir’s best expression seems to come from Burgundy. Sure I’ve had some other charming Pinot Noir, but none has ever seemed as magical, complex, primal, balanced & long-lived as some of the Burgundy I’ve been fortunate to taste.
But I digress…
Getting back to Chardonnay, I attended a tasting of white wines last week. We started the tasting with 5 Chardonnays – all made in Israel at different wineries. The first two were “unoaked” Chardonnays. I do enjoy a good crisp white, but these unoaked Chard’s underwhelmed. The focus seemed more on the acidity (a vital component) than the fruit, and the resulting wines seemed bitter and unbalanced. Two of the next 3 were oaked, but sadly the oak dominated and masked any fruit that may have been hiding underneath. I did enjoy 1 of the 5 Chard’s. It seemed to have the right balance between fruit, acid, oak & cream.
Now I mention cream, but no, there was no dairy product added. In addition to the primary fermentation (that converts sugar into alcohol) in wine, there is a secondary fermentation known as “malolactic” fermentation that converts bitter “malic” acid into CREAMY “lactic” acid. This is where the buttery or creamy flavors in Chardonnay come from.
I don’t want to get too carried away with the technical aspects here, but I do want to tie in to the ABC (anything but Chardonnay) club. Chardonnay is made in cool climates (apples & peaches), moderate climates (honeydew & pears) and warm climates (pineapple & lichee). It can be 100% oak aged, or it can be partially (33%, 50%, 66%, etc.) oak aged. It can have a full malolactic, or a partial malolactic. It can be bready as a result of “sur lie” – a process whereby the dead yeast cells are left in contact with the wine and stirred around to add complexity & yeast flavors.
There are so many ways Chardonnay can be made. Personally I think the best examples originate in Burgundy. Yet while I may not be a fan of lots of the Chardonnay out there, I am often surprised by a winemakers ability to make the right style Chardonnay for his fruit.
So if you have had a bad Chardonnay & have considered joining the ABC club, I implore you not to give up. Keep an open mind, taste when you can, and when all else fails pick up a White Burgundy.
Happy Chardonnay Wine Tasting!
Source: http://winetastingguy.com/2010/06/anything-but-chardonnay/
Wine lover’s choice – Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar – for the most impressive and practical wine list in the Philippines, over 2700 selections, enough to satisfy the most fastidious connoisseurs. Wine lovers and gourmand foodies from Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Korea and Malaysia dine at Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar when they visit Philippines and bring home some rare vintage wines too.
An excellent wine list is not just about 1st growth and cult Cabernet but a seemingly unending selection of affordable aged vintage wines that are not available anywhere else, not even in the best wine shops around town. Yats Restaurant has just that.
Visitors to Clark Philippines and Angeles City no longer suffer from lack of choices for places to eat out or wine and dine. Clark Philippines reviewed over 50 establishments and came up with three top choices in guide to best restaurant in Clark Freeport
Clark Philippines lists Top Three Restaurants in the Clark Freeport Zone and Angeles City areas of Philippines Pampanga province. Clark Freeport is a bustling new cosmopolitan city complete with its own Clark International Airport.
Topping the list is the famous fine-dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar located inside Mimosa Leisure Estate of Philippines Clark Freeport.
This restaurant in Pampanga Philippines is highly recommended by food critics and frequent diners in Manila as a place to wine and dine in Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone. Although it is a famous fine dining restaurant with an award winning 3000-line restaurant wine list, Yats Restaurant is also a popular restaurant for family with children. Aside from French Mediterranean haute cuisine, this restaurant also serves healthy food and the best vegetarian cuisines in the Philippines.
For comments, inquiries and reservations click on <a href=” http://www.yatsrestaurant.com/booking/index.html”>Click here for inquiry and reservations</a>
Restaurant@Yats-International.com
(045) 599-5600
0922-870-5178
0917-520-4401
Ask for Pedro and Rechel
<a href=”http://www.YatsRestaurant.com”>www. YatsRestaurant.com</a>
Getting to this fine dining restaurant of Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga Philippines
How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u5vLLIlNgw
Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar
Mimosa Drive past Holiday Inn, Mimosa Leisure Estate,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
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