No this isn’t a lesson in spelling, or early childhood education.
Those who have been around the wine world in the last decade, or two, may have heard the term “ABC”. So what does it mean? While it’s almost blasphemous to tell you since we love this wine varietal, we’ll take one for the team for the sake of wine education.
ABC means “Anything But Chardonnay.”
Gasp! Who could ever utter such terrible words? Well actually, a lot of people. Back in the 1990s, when California chardonnays and their big buttery flavors were ruling the dry white wine world, many people started to experience chardonnay fatigue. The idea of ordering a white wine that left people feeling like they just swallowed a bag of movie theater popcorn doused in fake butter quickly became unappealing and as a result they lumped all chardonnays into a category of “never again.”
The truth is chardonnays don’t have to be full of butter and oak flavors. After winemakers realized this, a better mix of chardonnays started to make their way to the market. Now you still have the option of the heavy, oak-laden chard, but you also can choose to drink one that preserves the citrus and tart green apple flavors of the versatile grape.
I still feel a little Chardonnay fatigue and will not automatically go for a Chardonnay when in my local wine shop. However, I did have a wonderful glass of Chablis at a friends house the other night and might contemplate buying a bottle in the future.