Three decades after the famous singleton put Britain off Chardonnay, we’re mad about the white wine again (just in time for Bridget’s latest film), says Sophie Morris
Dear Diary,” begins one memorable entry in Bridget Jones’s Diary, the 1996 bestseller that came to cinema screens in 2001. “I’ve failed again. I’ve poured an enormous glass of Chardonnay and I’m going to put my head in the oven.”
Sometimes your tipple of choice is a strong clue to how old you are, and for anyone who came of age in the 80s or 90s and fancied a glass or three after work, Chardonnay was the leading choice for wine lovers.
And no one adored it more than Bridget Jones, our favourite leading lady, whose diary-style newspaper column led to bestselling books and blockbusting films starring Renée Zellweger. The fourth instalment, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, lands next week, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Clumsy heroine Bridget, who logged her weight and the number of cigarettes she smoked each day, along with confessions about her madcap love life, took vulnerability mainstream long before anyone else did.
Her infamous large glass of Chardonnay spilled over into popular culture. Who can forget glossy ITV drama Footballers Wives? The show taught us about WAGs and even named one of its lead characters Chardonnay.
But as the Noughties drew to a close, wine experts reported that Chardonnay was falling out of favour - 200,000 fewer shoppers bought it in 2007-8 compared to 2006-7, equating to a 3% slump.
Pubs shifted to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio while experts blamed it on poor Bridget, saying that as someone who used wine to drown her sorrows, she was not a woman to aspire to.
“Chardonnay has made some of the world’s greatest wines. Everyone appreciated it,” claimed legendary wine writer Oz ” Full-styles popular
Clarke. “Until Bridget Jones, it was really sexy. After, people said, ‘God, not in my bar’.”
lots of and flavours
But Bridget’s back - and so is her favourite wine that - unfairly in my opinion - got a bad reputation due to the cloying taste of a few oaky New World bottles.
“Full-bodied, oaky Chardonnays fell out of fashion in the mid-90s, so winemakers worldwide were quick to make lighter, more elegant styles,” explains Sally Lanham, Asda’s buying manager for white wine.
“Recently, however, there has been a ‘counterculture’ revolution with full-throttle styles becoming popular with lots of rich, buttery flavours. Some 25% of white wine sales at Asda are Chardonnay.
“It’s one of the most versatile grape varieties, so there is sure to be one that suits every palate,” adds Sally. “Popular varieties include Chablis, Macon Villages and ones from Australia and the US.”
There are great homegrown options too. Last year, the UK’s biggest winemaker, Chapel Down in Kent, released its first
Chardonnay, as did celebrity chef Michael Caines, from his Lympstone Manor vineyard in Devon. Recently, Aldi released a new “sustainable” Chardonnay, Kooliburra Hidden Sea. For each bottle sold, the equivalent of 10 plastic bottles worth of waste will be removed from the ocean.
Though the New World Chardonnays are reportedly the ones that gave the wine a bad name, they are also leading the renaissance. One is the popular Californian wine Bread & Butter, sold in Ocado, Majestic and Sainsbury’s, with Ocado reporting a 296% increase in searches year on year. “It’s clear there’s a renewed thirst for a bolder style,” says Napa Valley winemaker Linda Trotter.
“Although other white throttle are with rich buttery wine grapes may be competing for attention, it’s clear some styles of Chardonnay are enjoying a surge in popularity, particularly those that cater to evolving consumer tastes,” adds Will Bridges Webb, buying manager for wine at Ocado Retail, which stocks 130 Chardonnays.
“Its resurgence can be attributed to brands embracing diversity. We’ve expanded our range in the last year to meet this demand, and it’s clear customers are rediscovering their love for this timeless grape.”
“The love of Chardonnay has never gone away,” says Majestic buyer Jonathan Tiffany, “I think aversion was due to richly oaked wines, but that trend seems to have reversed with wines such as Bread & Butter seeing increased sales every year.”
We can confirm that Chardonnay is truly back in favour. But until we see the film, we can’t say whether Bridget’s still using it to self-soothe. I predict she’s mixing it up with a few cocktails and kombuchas, and has reduced the size of her large glass to a medium.
FIVE TO TRY 1. Kooliburra Hidden Sea Chardonnay, Aldi, £7.49 Brand new wine with a commitment from Aldi to remove ocean plastic for every bottle sold.
2. De Martino Chardonnay, Asda, £10 A Chilean version and a pricier option for Asda, but it’s still great value for a tenner.
3. Butter Side Up, £9, Asda A cheeky dupe for the popular Bread & Butter wine.
4. Chevalier de Fauvert Chardonnay Pays d’Oc, Lidl £4.85 Unbeatable value makes this one of Lidl’s top-selling Chardonnays.
5. Definition Chardonnay, Majestic, £11.99/£8.99 mix of six Pineapple, peaches and vanilla - ripe and aromatic with a lovely creamy, full texture.