29-07-2025
Priced out of Burgundy? Drink Australian chardonnay instead (yes, really)
Many wine drinkers still find it difficult to think beyond the ripe, tropical style of Australian chardonnay that was big in the 1990s. If that's you, drop the pineapple-chunks-and-buttery-toast label and think more in terms of a country that can offer you chardonnay that's luminous and bright, complex but also refreshing.
The 0.1 per cent are already buying into the most boutique Australian chardonnays. For instance, Farr Vintners, a broker that specialises in top bordeaux, lists (at £690 for a case of six in bond) Cloudburst Chardonnay, a wine made in tiny quantities among the forests of Margaret River.
The joy is that you don't need to have a 0.1 per cent income to come in on this trend. Australia is currently proving particularly tempting to burgundy drinkers at the lower and middle end of the spectrum, too.
How the quality of Australian chardonnay compares to burgundy
'With the prices of even the 'lowly' Mâconnais wines going up and up, Australian chardonnays have become a much more viable option, not least because the quality continues to soar,' says Miles Davis of Vinum Fine Wines. 'It's really quite easy to find Aussie chardies equal in quality to a village burgundy for the price of a generic Bourgogne Blanc or less; further up the quality levels, premier cru quality for the price of a village wine, and so forth.'
Short translation: you can find Australian chardonnay options that are equal in quality to wines from Burgundy, for less money.
