With its sun-kissed highlights, delightfully fragrant aromatics and appealing flavours of vanilla, butter and exotic citrusy fruits, a glass of chardonnay can make anyone feel like they're one step closer to summer.
One of the greatest grapes, chardonnay can take wine lovers on a palatable journey through the world-famous region of Burgundy and the wine trails of southern France, to parts of Australia, Chile and California, where cool ocean breezes combine with sunshine to create ideal growing conditions for a ripe, luscious style. Here's six to try
1. Taste The Difference Limoux Chardonnay 2016, France (£9, Sainsbury's)
From the sunny Languedoc, Jean Claude Mas produces some of the region's most compelling wines and there's real value in this dependably delicious version, with its inviting white flower aromas, beam of ripe peach and layers of apricot and tropical fruits. Full and rounded with toasty spice and vanilla from oak ageing, it maintains an energetic freshness on the finish. The best match with fish cakes or a gourmet fish pie.
2. Westend Estate No 1 Chardonnay 2016, Riverina, Australia (£10.99, Laithwaites)
Cited as their bestselling Aussie chard, it's easy to see how this extremely flavoursome, fresh, zippy style more than delivers, with its aromas of melon, peach and honeysuckle and tiers of creamy white peach, melon and lightly toasty oak, with a lick of vanilla and nutty creaminess on the mouth-watering finish. Great on its own, or with flaky fish or white meats, this wine really highlights the grape's versatility and food-friendliness of chardonnay.
3. Hill-Smith Estate Eden Valley Chardonnay 2016, Australia (£11.99, Waitrose)
With an impressive balance of flavour and intensity, this chardonnay is brimming with a tropical fruit basket of pineapples, juicy pears and peach, which leads to a burst of nectarine and citrusy fruits overlaid with hints of vanilla. And while the fruit is very pure, textured and well ripened, the flavours are backed by fresh acidity on the finish. Serve with poached salmon or rotisserie chicken.
Note: This is billed as 'wild ferment', which means the wine contains naturally occurring yeast from the grape skins, instead of cultivated yeast - a lot of winemakers champion it and love the extra element it brings.
4. Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2016, Casablanca Valley, Chile (£12.99, Majestic)
A bright, snappy style (and another wild ferment) that reflects Chile's reputation for fresh, balanced wines: Along with apricot and peachy notes, there's a limey, citrusy element, so a broader range of flavours. Deliciously fruit forward, with tiers of tropical stone fruits, there's a lovely creaminess to the tingly, juicy fruit and toasty characters. Perfect with a Caesar salad.
5. Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2016, San Francisco Bay, USA (currently reduced to £12.95 from £14.40, Tanners)
According to California's oldest family-owned winery, Wente were the first to label their wines by the grape variety, and this chardonnay certainly sings from the glass. With an intense nose of baked apple, honeydew and peaches, the rich aromatics follow through with ripe fig, melon and pineapple flavours, laced with a good measure of vanilla and toasty oak. Enjoy with rich seafood dishes, such as turbot or grilled veal chops.
6. The Society's Chablis 2016, France (£14.50, The Wine Society)
A beautiful Burgundy blonde, the wines from Chablis offer pronounced mineral pleasure and if you're fond of an unoaked style, this is the chard for you. A little gem that emulates the purity and minerality of a fine Chablis, it's a classic, with gentle apple and lemony aromas, plenty of power to the ripe citrus fruit, with a broad palate and long, fresh finish. A natural with shellfish, especially oysters.
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