CHARDONNAY MYTHS & LEGENDS
MYTH; IT WAS BOUGHT BACK FROM THE LEBANON BY CRUSADERS.
THE OFT TOLD STORY OF DRINKERS SAYING THEY DON’T LIKE CHARDONNAY BUT LOVE CHABLIS & CHAMPAGNE IS PERHAPS THE BETTER KNOWN NOW BUT THERE IS A HYPOTHESIS THAT CHARDONNAY ORGINATED IN THE LEBANON.
OBAIDEH IS A NATIVE GRAPE TO THE MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY AND THERE ARE MANY WHO SAY IT IS CHARDONNAY.
AS WITH SYRAH IT IS SOMETIMES ARGUED CRUSADING FRANKS PICKED UP A TASTE FOR THE LOCAL WINE AND MADE SURE TO TAKE SOME SEEDS OR CUTTINGS HOME WITH THEM.
TRUTH; THEY DIDN’T ,THERE IS AS YET AN UNPROVEN LINK THAT OBAIDEH IS RELATED TO CHARDONNAY BUT IF IT IS THEN IT WILL HAVE BEEN A EUROPEAN BRINGING IT TO THE LEVANT AND NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND.
CHARDONNAY ITSELF HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE AN OFFSPRING OF THAT FAMOUS VITICULTURAL PARTNERSHIP,PINOT NOIR & GOUAIS BLANC.THE 1ST RECORDED MENTION OF IT IS IN THE LATE 1680s IN THE VILLAGE OF SAINT –SORLIN [NOW LA ROCHE-VINEUSE ] IN SOUTHERN BURGUNDY,WHERE IT IS MENTIONED IN VARIOUS SOURCES THAT THE BEST WHITE WINE IN THE AREA IS MADE FROM CHARDONNET.
ITS FINAL NAME WAS TAKEN FROM ANOTHER NEARBY VILLAGE, CHARDONNAY, BUT THE SPELLING DID NOT BECOME STANDARD UNTIL THE 20TH CENTURY.
SOURCE THE DRINKS BUSINESS
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