Wine Advent-ure Calendar Day 2: Meadow Moon Chardonnay

Winery Location: Italy

For the second day we go from Bulgaria to Italy for this lovely Chardonnay from Meadow Moon. While Italy has a variety of white grape varietals, Chardonnay is not usually brought up when one thinks of an Italian white wine. But don’t be fooled – to paraphrase the original Iron Chef Japanese Michiba Roksaburo, there are no borders to grape varietals, and Chardonnay in Italy is no exception – at least seven different regions of the nation are home to this varietal.

Meadow Moon is not the first Italian Chardonnay I tried, but it’s definitely one of the most delightful. It has a creamy mouthfeel, but it is not overly heavy or buttery. As the tasting note says, this an “easy going chardonnay” – fruit forward with flavors like lemon, melon and peach on the palate with a soft finish. I also detected a bit of acidity which considering that Chardonnays are usually lower-acidity whites was rather surprising. Don’t get me wrong – this is not a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio we’re talking about here. But it was a touch more than I was expecting from the Chards I usually drink. And I think it actually made things a little better, as even though the wine is still rich and full flavored, it has a bit of a lighter, almost refreshing sensation, which makes the wine not only food friendly (I paired it with macaroni and cheese), but fun to drink solo, or as the tasting note puts it, “Best enjoyed on the patio”. Definitely one of the few Chardonnays that I can call a porch pounder, whether outside or inside.

(Sidenote – I just found out that there is a Chardonnay from a winery in Sonoma County called “Moon Meadow”. That’s a different Chardonnay from the one featured here so don’t confuse the two.)