ABV: 0.5%
Calories per 250ml glass: 60 (24 per 100ml)
Chardonnay is one of the world’s most widely-grown grapes but it’s had its ups and downs. At one point, wine drinkers couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Then, all of a sudden, it was deeply unfashionable. Some blame Bridget Jones. Some blame an overuse of oak chips for flavouring – leaving the wine tasting more of oak trees than grapevines. Whatever the reason, Chardonnay’s exile was short-lived and now people love it again.
In fact, Chardonnay has always been an important ingredient in many sparkling wines that never went out of fashion, including Champagne. It also shows up on its own as a single-variety sparkling white wine – what the French call blanc de blancs (“white from whites”) – which is exactly what this one is.
Given the Champagne connection, it’s no surprise that this sparkling Chardonnay is a little bit Champenois. It’s got a Champagne smell – slightly yeasty – and a sharp, almost sour, taste. This is really one for the dry wine lovers. It’s a little sweeter than the Rawson’s Retreat Chardonnay Pinot Noir Muscat, but it’s a lot drier than any of the other sparkling wines on this page.
