Need to know

Chardonnay takes its name from a village in the Burgundy region of France. French Chardonnay often won’t say ‘Chardonnay’ on the bottle because the specific place in Burgundy where it’s from is considered more important. In the new world (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia etc) the bottle will say Chardonnay.

Chardonnay is one of the three principal grapes of Champagne, along with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. If a bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine says ‘Blanc de Blancs’, it means it’s all Chardonnay.