Chardonnay still has much to recommend it (From York Press)

Chardonnay still has much to recommend it

11:21am Saturday 21st January 2012 in Tipping's Tipples By Mike Tipping

WHICH white wine is your favourite? Mine is riesling but you might say viognier, or chenin blanc. However research, of UK drinkers shows that chardonnay, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc are still the top three choices by varietal.

Sauvignon blanc, in my view, can have too much flavour. It can be very intense, akin to drinking essence of gooseberry. Whereas pinot grigio can be rather lacking, tasting like alcoholised mineral water.

But by blending the two, Kiwi outfit Villa Maria has found the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ with its Private Bin East Coast Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Grigio 2011. Very approachable and fresh, it shows tropical fruit, pear, grapefruit and white flowers with a surprisingly long finish.

Of course not every sauvignon blanc is a goosegog-bomb. The same Kiwi outfit has a single vineyard example, Villa Maria Graham Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2011, which will knock your socks off. Sadly, it will make a dent in your bank account at the same time!

Aromatic and clean tasting, it has a nicely balanced acidity, with flavours of green pea, gooseberry (inevitably) and minerals. Buy a bottle to have with asparagus, come springtime.

My personal preference, from those top three whites, is for chardonnay. The following duo reminded me why, at a tasting session the other evening.

If chardonnay doesn’t figure on your shopping list these days, it should. To find out what you have been missing, take a sip of Domaine La Madeleine Saint Jean Chardonnay 2010. Rich and buttery, with flavours of apple, pear, white pepper and floral notes, it is good value drinking from the Languedoc, in the south of France.

Or try chardonnay from the Limari Valley in Chile. The limestone in the soil there gives the wine a distinctive mineral character, rather like Chablis. Tabali Encantado Chardonnay Reserva Especial 2010 is a good example. It’s rich, creamy, lemon and tropical fruit flavours are complemented by the judicious use of French Oak barrels. You will find it on offer at Waitrose from January 25 and it’s brilliant with roast chicken.

Villa Maria Private Bin East Coast Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Grigio 2011, £8.99 at Sainsbury’s 17/20

Villa Maria Graham Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2011, £14.99 at Majestic and Ocado 18/20

Domaine La Madeleine Saint Jean Chardonnay 2010, Pays d’Oc, £7.45 from HC Wines (hcwines.co.uk) 17/20

Tabali Encantado Chardonnay Reserva Especial 2010, £8.99 down from £11.49 at Waitrose 17/20