VIRTUAL TOUR
Have you ever met e person who is “tired from Chardonnay” or a member of the movement ABC (“Anything but Chardonnay”)? And have you ever wondered which style of Chardonnay he is tired from – the light and fresh Chardonnay without aging in barrels or Chardonnay Barrel Fermented, Chablis, Mersault or Macon, Chardonnay from Western France, North Italy or Australian Chardonnay?
A Chardonnay that is raised in the comparatively cold climate in Burgundy will have totally different character compared with Chardonnay from the sunny and New North Wales.
ABC is a term, used to describe a movement that is different from the popularity of the Chardonnay wines in order to increase the interest of the consumer for other white wines. Some wineries use this as a trick in the marketing strategy only to increase the sales of other white wines. And of course ABC is also a perfect theme for wine tasting.
How does the movement ABC start?
Chardonnay is one of the most popular grape varieties in the famous wine regions all over the world – USA, Europe, Argentine, Chili and Australia. The variety wins his popularity in 1980 and 1990, and today it continues to dominate on the wine scene.
In 1980, famous enologists from California like those from Kendall-Jackson start making creamy Chardonnays, aged in barrels.
Soon after that, other wine cellars start hiding the characteristics of the grape Chardonnay, by losing unique fruity notes after malolactic fermentation and aging in barrels. The consumers start more and more to look for barrel fermented Chardonnays, the market is full with this new style of wine and the produced quantities exceed all expectations.
With the begging of the new millennium, ingenious and bored consumers start a “revolution” against this style of wine, calling themselves ABC consumers (“Anything but Chardonnay” or “Alternatives beyond Chardonnay”). They open the doors for other white varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Marsanne, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, and Pinot Gris, searching for fruity notes, varietal characteristics and powerful acidity.
