Chardonnay’s unique appeal lies in a certain blank-canvas malleability. At its core, it’s a wine of transparency, a mirror to terroir and the brushstrokes of a winemaker’s technique. In the US, however, its hallmark style – big, buttery Californiaesque wines plump with tropical fruit and new-oak flavours – is subject to nearly as much scorn as adoration.
Yet Chardonnay is America’s most popular white wine among consumers by far, its market share exceeding 15%, according to Silicon Valley Bank’s 2023 State of the US Wine Industry report, with Pinot Grigio following at just above 8% (SipSource data to September 2022).
