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Unoaked Chardonnay Enlivens The Varietal

If you are a fan of Chardonnay you will be surely interested to learn more about the unoaked Chardonnay. From this article you will learn about this type of unoaked wine, its style, its crisp and fruity character and you will learn why this type of Chardonnay is so popular these days. Stay with us and discover the origin of the ‘no oak’ Chardonnay and which is the best one.
Here's a little help for when looking to buy an unoaked Chardonnay. When buying and unoaked Chardonnay always look for the following terms: “no oak”, “inox”, “acero” (Spain) and “sans chêne” (France).
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Unoaked Chardonnay
Forget about the fancy mochaccinos, lattes, cappuccinos and other creamy stuff… we just want black coffee. Well know, can you imagine a Chardonnay with no vanilla, butter or cream. Sounds pretty amazing right? For those who have advanced wine tasting skills and are looking for more, an unoaked Chardonnay sounds extremely appealing. 
Besides the no vanilla and cream flavours, there are some other things that make the unoaked Chardonnay delicious and more affordable than the oaked one.
Unoaked Chardonnay Background
For those who didn't know, the unoaked Chardonnay became popular in Chablis, which is a region located about 130km Northwest of Dijon, France in Burgundy. What makes Chablis so popular is that their wines are traditionally made with concrete, stainless steel or neutral oak, so they do not have the vanilla and cream-buttery style. Not that long, everyone around the world started labeling their no-oak Chardonnay wines with “Chablis” until one day France complained.
By tasting a non-oaked Chardonnay you can taste and feel only the varietal characteristics which are lemon, green apple and sometimes pineapple.
Unoaked Chardonnay Is Cheaper To Produce
Maybe strange, but yes, it is true. Can you imagine how costly is to pay for and ship new oak barrels all over the world, year after year?! It is huge, and winemakers have a cheaper long-term solution and that is to send unoaked wines directly into the marketplace at a much more affordable price.
Good Unoaked Chardonnay
Below you will see a list of 100% unoaked and 100% approved Chardonnay wines.
  • Apaltagua Reserva Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley, Chile (QPR) - This unoaked Chardonnay has fruit lemon and citrus notes with a hint of yellow apple. 
  • Bethel Heights Unoaked Chardonnay, Oregon (Nom Nom) – Baked pears, golden apples, figs… no need to say more! It is a delicious fruity wine that can be found in a well-stocked online stores. 
  • Domaine De Bernier, Unoaked Chardonnay, France (QPR) – Simple, super crisp, and dry fruity wine with taste of lemons.