History of Riesling

[Innkeeper]

In the May 29, 00 edition of Nation's Restaurant News (the country's major restaurant organ) once a month wine columnist Mardee Haidin Regan writes the following:

"Speaking of personal tastes, among those I talk to about wine and those I drink with, an odd trend has been cropping up. Over the last three years or so a number of people I have spoken with have complained to me about Chardonnay.

You're thinking, 'What does that mean?' Well, they tell me they can't drink Chardonnay anymore. 'Why?' I've asked them. 'What's wrong?' And universally their answers are that it just doesn't taste 'right', and they cannot and will not finish even the most highly lauded bottling. I worried about the oakiness of some California Chardonnays.

I decided to arrange a blind tasting with just one of these people as my guinea pig: I opened five bottles of wine, Chardonnays from California, Washington, France, and Australia plus a Sauvignon Blanc from California. We tasted them blind. She disliked - indeed, hated - four of them and was happy with the Sauvignon Blanc. I've searched for an explanation, asked a number of winemakers, and have discovered no answer. Could it be the Chardonnay Paradox? If you now what's up, let me know. I'm curious. Mardee@ardentspirits.com ."

I e-mailed her. Will you?