Cecilia Wong gives her breakdown of the best Chardonnay expressions from the drinks business Asia Chardonnay Masters 2024. Apart from being one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world, Chardonnay is also one of the most versatile, producing lean and chalky styles like the wines of Chablis, to rich and creamy styles common in California. Not only is Chardonnay important for still wine, it’s also a big component of many sparkling wines. The words ‘blanc de blancs’ on a Champagne label refer often to a 100%-Chardonnay wine. It is also a winemaker’s grape, and gives them creativity and freedom to make their wines light and elegant, or full-bodied and complex. For the drinks business Asia Chardonnay Masters 2024, 22 wines from all over the world, including Italy, Chile, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, were tasted blind by a panel of expert judges. Four Master awards were given out, along with seven Gold awards, 10 Silver awards, and one Bronze. This year’s Chardonnay Masters 2024 panel included: Cecilia Wong, the co-chair of the drinks business Asia Masters; Harnil Mathur, head sommelier, The Magistracy, Black Sheep Restaurants in Hong Kong; and Billy Yeung, head sommelier of One Harbour Road, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. The 22 wines were categorised under unoaked or oaked variants, and were judged depending on price range, showcasing the true diversity of expressions. All of the Master medals were given to oaked expressions. One went to De Bortoli Deen Vat 7 Chardonnay 2022, from Riverina,
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
