Know your (Spanish?) ABC

I turned up at a friend’s house in Madrid on Christmas Eve clutching a bottle of a white wine we were proud to sell at Simply Spanish Wine - Bespén Blanco by Luis Oliván. It’s a delicious, dry white wine from a small but hugely talented winemaker based in the main in DO Somontano in north east Spain (though Luis also makes a brilliant Malvar white from grapes grown just outside Madrid in the centre of the country).

DO Somontano in north east Spain

My friend eagerly accepted the offering – and rightly so - only to glance at the label and grimace. “It’s a Chardonnay,” he said. “You could have brought something Spanish!”

His reaction took me aback at first. But when I thought about it, I could understand where he was coming from. Chardonnay is perhaps the most international of wine grapes, thanks in large part to the huge burst in popularity it enjoyed in the last two decades of the twentieth century when the number of hectares planted globally grew enormously. Its popularity then waned a bit, with a renewed interest in lesser known native varieties and consumers clamouring for ¨ABC¨ or ¨Anything But Chardonnay.¨ But it’s still the bedrock of Burgundy and the darling of Down Under. It’s a California Dreamer and a Champagne Charlie. In fact, with a significant presence in some 41 countries at the last count, you could say it’s the Phileas Fogg of the grape world.

Chardonnay grapes ripening in the sun

So, it’s not surprising that my friend didn’t think of it as being particularly Spanish. But there some very good reasons why he (and everyone else) should.

For a start, it’s actually grown in Spain more than you’d think. In fact, there are about 11,800 hectares planted not just in Somontano in Aragon, but further afield in regions like Castilla La Mancha or Catalunya – 5,500 and 2,800 hectares respectively – Valencia or Navarra. True, that doesn’t put it in the top 10, but when you consider that in Australia there are about 20,000 hectares planted (versus some 50,000 in France) you can see that Spain isn’t that far behind. There’s also more Chardonnay planted in Spain than other white grapes like Albariño (6,500 hectares) or Godello (a mere 1,800); two hugely popular varieties at the forefront of the modern Spanish wine movement. So, in terms of volume at least, Chardonnay certainly deserves a seat at the Spanish table.

But it can also be considered Spanish in terms of its flavour profile – or lack of it. You see, Chardonnay is a very adaptable variety. It soaks up the characteristics of the climate where it’s planted like few other grapes. That’s why you can find it in so many wine-producing countries around the world. And in each of those countries it expresses a different style.

For example, in France (Burgundy to be precise), it gives us a range of wines from the steely minerality of unoaked Chablis in the cooler north, down through the nutty and intense whites of the Côte de Beaune and further south to the more complex, riper styles of the Maconnâis. Then in the New World, it tends to be more opulent and exotic in countries like Australia and New Zealand, or even California.

The Chardonnay grape is the key ingredient in some of the world’s most popular white wines, like Chablis from Burgundy

In Spain, Chardonnay will often give pretty aromatic wines with quite a grippy texture, but it can just as easily deliver a fresh, crisp, dry white. It’s also often blended in Cava or even on its own in other sparkling wines. So even though the variety itself is of French descent, when it’s grown and used in Spain it will exhibit its own Spanish “personality”.

And finally, it’s a grape that allows winemakers to express themselves. People sometimes talk about Chardonnay as a ¨blank canvas¨ - by that, they mean it responds well to different vinification techniques and can showcase the skills and creativity of individual winemakers. It also combines very well with oak - whether old or new, French or American – absorbing some of the flavours of the wood to give richer style wines with hazelnut and buttery flavours. So, if you’re drinking a Spanish Chardonnay, you’ll be enjoying a wine that reflects the styles and approach of Spanish winemakers.

Luis Oliván, Somontano winemaker and Chardonnay fan

Luis Oliván for example uses 100% Chardonnay in the aforementioned Bespén Blanco to make the most of its fresh, dry, crispiness and to reflect the Alsace-like landscape of the lower Pyrenees. It is an expression of Luis’ techniques and of the vineyards where the grape is grown. In short, it’s an expression of Spain.

Ben and I like to bang on about how Spain in particular is having a bit of a ¨wine moment¨, and is full of innovative producers making wines that reflect the regions in which they are working. Bespén Blanco does that perfectly and, for me, is as good a reason as any to think of Chardonnay as a truly Spanish grape.

And by the end of the bottle, my friend thoroughly agreed.

Cheers!