Wine: Eberbach-Schäfer Chardonnay

I drink wines from the Eberbach-Schäfer vineyard regularly. I have my favourites, especially the Trollinger and the Spätburgunder-Lemberger. Occasionally I drink a Riesling, although I admit that that I prefer the Lehrensteinfelder Salzberg Riesling.

On Monday I saw a bottle of Eberbach-Schäfer Chardonnay in the corner store. I'd already seen it advertised on the Eberbach-Schäfer website, but this was the first time I'd seen it in the shop. So I bought it and waited till it had cooled it to an appropriate temperature.

A few words about the Chardonnay grape. It's one of the most widely cultivated wine grapes worldwide. It's most commonly used for sparkling wine, but several vineyards also offer it as a normal wine. It's popular with vintners, especially in small vineyards, because the grapes are very easy to grow, resistant to the weather and ripening early in the season. Unlike other grapes, Chardonnay takes a lot of the flavour from the ground, so there's no consistency in flavour from one location to another.

I was curious how the wine would taste. The first few sips shocked me with the wine's acidity. My first thoughts were "not as good as Riesling", but as I continued drinking I got used to the taste and was impressed by the fruitiness.

I drank the wine late on Monday evening and forgot to put it back in the fridge. Last night I decided to drink a glass anyway, and I was amazed. At room temperature (about 14 C) it tasted much better. It was one of the most deliciously fruity white wines I've ever tasted.

Shall I buy it again? Maybe. There's no more of it in the shop, and I don't want to order online, but I'll watch out for it.