by Patrick Ogle

Charleville Vineyard's  Chardonel is a white wine with  lime and crisp greenery on the nose. The wine has solid acidity and hints of  green apple too. It is refreshing to drink on a hot day but it is also a nice wine to pair with food, even fairly rich food. Charleville Vineyards is in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, a town with a number of wineries nearby, lots of history and tons of bed and breakfast-type lodging. This wine is not some curiosity from a tourist area though, but  a quality every day drinker.

The grape is the child of Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc. It was created in 1953. Like the former parent wine made from Chardonel is sometimes oaked. This particular version is not.

Be sure to not think "Chardonnay" when you try this wine because it is not that. It is its own thing and has its own flavor profile.  Even so it will please Chardonnay lovers and this version will get some Sauvginon Blanc drinkers on board as well--especially lovers of French versions.

Among the hybrid grapes Chardonel has perhaps the best reputation. Even the skeptics say that high quality wines can be made with the grape. I also tried a version (from nearby Chaumette Vineyards) that was oaked and the wine handles oak well. That wine was bigger, with more vanilla and a hint of butterscotch. Hybrid grapes are crossings between European vitus vinifera grapes and any of a number of American grapes (or in this case? other hybrids).

Why were hybrid grapes created? Initially it was because Phylloxera was wiping out wine producing grapes around the world. Later it was to create grapes that were more cold hardy or that would grow in other areas wine grapes found inhospitable. In many cases these grapes have a dubious reputation but not always. We've dealt with reasons for grapes having dubious reputations before--it is often because few winemakers have really TRIED to make quality wine with them.

Distribution of these wines is iffy because our country has idiotic laws about wine distribution (usually written by big distributors with loads of campaign dollars to hand out). You may have to get into the area (or at least Missouri) to find these wines but it would be a lovely weekend trip.

by Patrick Ogle

BLANKbottle "Don't Look Back" Swartland (South Africa) Clairette has an orange flavor that  jumps out of the glass to your nose and when you taste.  I found this a little odd and had to taste again to be sure (and again and again). Initially I thought this was somewhat odd. It isn't unheard of but it is slightly less than an everyday wine drinking experience.

​​Orchard fruits make an appearance as well--pears or exotic apples perhaps. There is acidity here but it isn't "rip your face off" acidity. It gives this nuanced impression of roundness then the acidity taps you on the shoulder.

This is a complex little white wine. It is deceptive because it is fun and easy to drink. When you are tossing it back you do not want to think about it. It is like listening to your favorite high energy dance music. You just want to dance. You don't want to notice the song is about love and death and poverty and the various mysteries of existence. It also tosses in some minerality, a hint of stoniness and a dab of earthiness (but only a dab).

Ok, maybe I am putting too much on this Clairette. It won't end strife in the world but it is an excellent, interesting white.

Clairette is not widely grown but it is not endangered. There is something like 200 acres planted in South Africa. Various areas in the Rhone Valley and Provence (France) use the grape in blends. There are around 7000 acres grown in France. It is allowed in Chateau neuf de Pape and is also used in Rhone sparklers Clairette de Die and Cremant de Die. The latter usually featuers more Clairette. There are also Clairette sparklers from Australia and South Africa.

When you read about this grape you will see the usual disparaging remarks made about grapes that are not among the half dozen or so deemed to be "good grapes for wine."  You will read it is light, fruity and simple and, indeed, it can be that but it is not limited to that. This wine is fruity but it isn't super duper light. You will see the odd oft cut and pasted notion that it is low in acidity. This also CAN be true but isn't necessarily so. Most of the varietal versions I've had of this have had fairly high acidity and grapes used in sparkling wine generally feature high acidity. Jancis Robinson has a short (and to me) more accurate description of Clairette.