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+--- Thread: Chardonnay vs. Chablis (/thread-18339.html)
- chatnoir - 12-12-2003
Hi, I am a new member here -- today, in fact!
I have a question concerning the difference between a Chardonnay and a Chablis.
Recently, I was with friends in the mall shopping. We stopped at a restaurant chain and sat at the bar while waiting for a table. I asked the bartender for a glass of Chardonnay. He asked if I wanted the 'House Brand' or some other. I told him that the 'House Brand' would be fine. As he was pouring my drink, I was curious to know what the 'House Brand' was; and, I asked him to see the label. What he was pouring for me was, in fact, a Chablis. I don't like Chablis; and, I told him that. (I felt like the date from Hell in the movie Return To Me -- the woman who did want Swiss water!) Anyway, the bartender was offended and told me that Chardonnay and Chablis were the same thing. The friends with me told me the same thing and encouraged me not to make a fuss because it was 'all white wine'. I don't think so. I can't believe that!
Also, thanks for the info concerning the differences in oaked and unoaked Chardonnay. I didn't use to like Chardonnay. It had a taste that I didn't like -- bitter or heavy or something distressing; however, I've found lately that I do like Chardonnay because it is light and crisp. I'll have to pay more attention to the Chardonnay labels -- and, to this Board [img]http://38.118.142.245/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] Thanks.
[This message has been edited by chatnoir (edited 12-12-2003).]
- Kcwhippet - 12-12-2003
Chardonnay and "real" Chablis (from France) are made from the same grape. However, some of the jug wines made in the U.S. labelled as Chablis are actually made from other grapes, like Thompson Seedless, French Colombard and a few others. The only similarity with Chablis is the name. So, if the wine they offered was a California Chablis jug wine, then it wasn't Chardonnay.
I can't believe I actually beat IK to the punch on this one!
[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 12-12-2003).]
- Innkeeper - 12-12-2003
All I'll add is welcome to the Wine Board, Charnoir.
- chatnoir - 12-12-2003
Thanks to both of you for being so prompt with your replies. I guess that I was more in error than I thought; however, I'm wondering why the difference in names (Chardonnay & Chablis), with respect to the French Chablis, if the wines are from the same grape ?
Also, how is one to tell from what grape a wine is made? This information is not always (frequently not) on the bottle.
Btw, the bartender was pouring from a Almaden labelled bottle.
Again, thanks!
- Kcwhippet - 12-12-2003
If the bottle was Almaden, I can guarantee the contents weren't Chablis. In fact all that Almaden will say about their Chablis is that's made from the fermented juice of grapes with white skins. Here's an excerpt about Chablis from another site:
"Chablis" is a little different story. It's not a grape. In France, it's a Chardonnay made in the region called Chablis, and it's fairly expensive. For a long time, inexpensive white wines made in the U.S. were called "Chablis" also, even though they weren't made from the same grape. Nowadays, this practice has almost died out, except for a few "jug" wines like Almaden Mountain Chablis (which is a pretty nice cheap picnic wine, by the way), so you won't see an American wine called Chablis much any more, and if you do, you're probably better off to avoid it.
- Innkeeper - 12-12-2003
Regarding real Chablis. It comes from the upper end of the Burgundy (another confusing word when it come to California jug wine) region. It and other chardonnay based wines from the region have used their subregional names since antiquity. Others include Montrachet, Meursault, and the various Maconnais. In recent years some of these, especially lower end ones, have added the grape name to the label in order to attact American wine buyers. Another alarming development is that some of these folks particularly from Chablis and Macon have started oaking their wines, which has not been the case before. Again this is for the benefit of American palates.
- wineguruchgo - 12-13-2003
I was very surprised when I had my first true Chablis as to how elegant it was.
One thing you will find with a true Chablis is a mineralistic quality that is glorious. California would have a hard time duplicating it.
It's a shame that Almaden hasn't taken the name off their wine. Espically since there are so many Chardonnay drinkers in the world today.
Tsk-tsk.