Mom And Dad, Part 2; Chablis vs Chardonnay, Same Grape, Different Wine!

When I had my parents visiting, I really got to try some new and exciting wines. My Dad has always been a fan of Chablis, a wine that is totally unknown to me, and of course with the extended budget, we were able to widen my horizon a little.

The Chablis, a 2008 Vincent Damp, has only been getting low ratings, and didn’t impress me, but I still got the idea of what a Chablis is like. A light and fresh wine, with lots of citrus flavor. And I can imagine that a wine like this would be excellent with the shrimp we eat back home in Norway. They cook the shrimp right on the boat, in sea-water, they get an amazing flavor that way. Then we pair the shrimp with French loaf, majo and lemon juice. It is to die for…

I’m trying to educate myself as much as I can, and had to read up on Chablis. Finding out that it is Chardonnay grapes…who knew? A Chardonnay is a completely different type wine. This shows you how much influence the wine region, soil and the wine making process has on the wine. But it is not that simple, if it is a French Chablis, then you have 100% Chardonnay grapes grown in the Chablis region of France. (Chablis is the northernmost wine district of the Burgundy region in France.) A bottle of Chardonnay from USA must have at least 80% Chardonnay grapes grown from anywhere. If the bottle is Chablis and is from USA, all bets are off. It could have nearly anything inside. Many US bottlers in the 1970’s started using the term “Chablis” to mean “white wine”.

Another favorite of my Dad’s is Cancerre. We tried a 2011 Laurent Gerard Reserve Villes Vignes La Foret Des Dames Cancerre. A very pleasant wine, the same type I would say as the Chablis, very light and crisp with citrus flavors, but this wine was smoother and overall a better wine. Cancerre is an appellation located in the eastern end of the Loire Valley. Made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape, but red and rose Cancerre made from Pinot Noir, is increasingly popular.

A bucket of shrimp (Norwegian style) wouldn’t be bad right now. I should try to make it some time. Get some fresh shrimp with head’n all, cook it in salty water for a couple of minutes, add some majo and lemon juice….I definitly have to try that. Cheers!