The secret to drinking Chardonnay

Chardonnay has fallen dramatically out of favour. It’s passé, old hat and, well, just that little bit naff.

I’m referring, of course, to the girls name, twenty years ago, which was briefly in vogue in certain circles. Indeed, in 2003 – thanks to the popularity of Chardonnay Lane-Pascoe, a character in the ITV seriesFootballers’ Wives – some sixty five baby girls were officially registered with the moniker Chardonnay. Today, only a handful of babies are thus encumbered.

Happily, Chardonnay, the grape, has fared rather better than the name and, despite the scorn of the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) fraternity, it’s resolutely back in fashion, having taken a bit of a knock thanks to the flood of cheap, heady, vanilla fruit bombs from Australia a while back.

Airén might technically be the world’s most widely planted white grape, in that it covers most acreage (it’s a staple of Spanish brandy), but Chardonnay is more far flung, found almost everywhere that wine is made.