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6 Ways To Enjoy Chardonnay All Day In Florida

Bottle of Elemental Chardonnay in the sand at the beach with a pink plastic cup

Thanks to Textbook and Lucia for inviting me to try the latest vintages of their wines. They provided free bottles in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

National Chardonnay Day was last week. However, for many consumers every day is chardonnay day. It is one of the most planted grapes worldwide. To celebrate belatedly, here are 6 ways to enjoy Chardonnay all day in Florida.

Many wine lovers have a love/hate relationship with this grape. I confess to be one of them. It comes down to style as in the style of the wine made with it. There had been a trend in California, particularly in Napa Valley, for vintners to make big, oaky, buttery chardonnay.

Some consumers love that quality, but it turns others off. These wines are often unbalanced and hard to pair food with. This is not how chardonnay is produced everywhere in the world. In fact, not all California producers make heavy, oaky and buttery chardonnay.

I like a fresher, less manipulated wine and that's what I set out to find and share here for Chardonnay Day. It might be a week later, but better late than never, right?

Chardonnay All Day In Florida

Back to chardonnay from around the world. I shared a delightful lunch over the weekend with Anne Bousquet. She and her husband are the co-founders of Domaine Bousquet in Argentina.

It's a country that when speaking of grapes, chardonnay is unlikely the first wine that comes to mind. But they make some and it is one to put on your radar if you are not a fan of over-oaked white wines.

Anne Bousquet, CEO and co-founder of Domaine Bousquet in Argentina shared some of her new releases with Gina Birch over lunch. They did not have Chardonnay all day in Florida, but they did taste one.

Before we sampled her impressive line of red wines, we tasted the Gran Chardonnay. It was a lovely surprise. Fresh and tropical it was a little spicy on the finish and excellent with food. It's also affordable and easy to find.

Bousquet is a bit of a trend setter and pioneer in Argentina. They were the first to grow grapes in their area at the base of the Andes Mountains. They are also the largest all-organic winery in the country. More on the cool things they are doing is to come.

Finally, here are 5 more ways to enjoy chardonnay all day in Florida and for Wine Wednesday.

Please drink responsibly

Gary Farrell Russian River Valley Chardonnay

Photo: Gina Birch

TEXTbook Chardonnay

Photo: Gina Birch

Lucia By Pisoni Soberanes Vineyard

Photo: Gina Birch

Etude Grace Benoist Ranch

Photo: Gina Birch

Element(AL) Chardonnay

Photo: Gina Birch
Gina Birch brings the sunshine to Sunny 106.3 every weekday morning from 6-10. She has worked in radio, television and print in Southwest Florida for nearly 30 years. During that time, she has become an advocate for numerous charities including those that support animals, children, women and wellness. In addition, she has written for numerous local, regional and national publications about food, wine and travel. Those are her longtime passions...along with shoes.