Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the world’s most famous white-wine grape and also one of the most widely planted. The grape itself is very neutral, with many of the flavors commonly associated with the grape being derived from such influences as terroir and oak. It is vinified in many different styles, from the lean, crisply mineral wines of Chablis to New World wines with oak, and tropical fruit flavors trying to replicate the rich Burgundies of Montrachet. Chardonnay is also an important component of many sparkling wines around the world, including Champagne. A peak in popularity in the late 1980s gave way to the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) backlash among those who saw the grape as a leading negative component of the globalization of wine. However it is seen as a “”rite of passage”” and an easy entry into the international wine market for new wine regions.