Cool Chardonnay

ABC. Not only are these the first three letters in the English alphabet, these three letters also signify  a horrible acronym meaning "Anything but chardonnay". It's time to rid the wine world of this "ABC" attitude and change it to mean "All about chardonnay". Wait, wouldn't that be AAC?

Why has chardonnay gotten such a bad rap? Well, I think it's because the market has been saturated with so much bad chardonnay that it's given the grape a bad name. Lots of overly oaked, flabby wine has deceived the public that this is the only style of wine that this grape can make. Totally not true! I myself am a HUGE lover of chardonnay.   Like our friendly grape - Riesling, Chardonnay can really show off it's "terroir" - that is, it's sense of place...where it comes from....it's expression of the land. It's such a versatile grape that can be made into many different styles.

"It’s time for the re-birth of Cool…"  - www.coolchardonnay.org

"Not all chardonnay is created equal. Add in a bit of cool – cool by altitude, by latitude, by marine influence or by climatic conditions – and you have an entirely different experience. Chardonnay vines that are grown in cool climates and encouraged to allow asense of place to shine through can produce a wine that is balanced, refreshing, complex and elegant. And when done right…cool climate chardonnay can be a magical wine. " -  www.coolchardonnay.org

The weekend of July 22-24, Niagara wine country is having a Cool Climate Chardonnay celebration and we're all invited! For three days, many of the wineries are going to have various events from parties, lunches to tastings. Sunday July 24, in Toronto, LCBO Vintages will be hosting a large tasting at Roy Thompson Hall. For three hours you can walk around and taste cool climate chardonnays from all over the world.  It's expensive at $95 per ticket, but it should be a great tasting. See my "hint" at the end of this post to get cheaper tickets.

"Thirty Ontario wineries started the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Association – a not-for-profit group devoted to reinstating the dignity of chardonnay. The i4c is a “coming together” of the finest examples of cool climate chardonnay in the world – a casual but in-depth weekend celebration of wine, food and learning, with an eye to reinvigorating a seriously cool wine." -  www.coolchardonnay.org

If you want to go to the tasting at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, visit this site to purchase cheaper tickets:
www.coolchardonnay.org/content/blend-your-own-chardonnay-celebration