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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: cjr]
#105622
08/18/2016 09:58 AM
08/18/2016 09:58 AM
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,534 Ohio
ruralcarrier
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,534
Ohio
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Most grocery stores have a large selection and prices are reasonable and probably less than at home in many cases. Booze it Up is located very near you and would also have a large selection.
J.D.
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: cjr]
#105623
08/18/2016 10:22 AM
08/18/2016 10:22 AM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278 Maryland/DC Metro
BeachKitten
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278
Maryland/DC Metro
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The store JD has referenced has a 2010 Kendall Jackson for $24.80
Just a note, I've found that US wines tend to cost more there than at home...because of importing. But you can find delicious French or Chilean wines that you may not find affordable at home..they are cheaper in St Maarten.
Last edited by BeachKitten; 08/18/2016 10:26 AM.
"It is good to do nothing all day, and then to rest"
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: BeachKitten]
#105625
08/18/2016 10:32 AM
08/18/2016 10:32 AM
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 288 Edam, Saskatchewan - Canada
PrairieGirl
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 288
Edam, Saskatchewan - Canada
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But I hope that it is not a Chardonnay! 6 Six years is a long time for a white wine to lay around.......
To the OP, You will find a selection of Chardonnay in all of the grocery stores, many at very reasonable price points.
Try one of the large grocery stores on the French side - you are on your own as far as choosing one - some you may like and some not, but they are so reasonable it is fun to experiment.
Grape Wine located in Hope Estate is a very nice wine store. The couple that runs it are very friendly, speak good English and will help you find something you like.
LeAnn url=https://www.tickerfactory.com] [/url]
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: TravelHat]
#105633
08/18/2016 02:09 PM
08/18/2016 02:09 PM
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,454 Virginia wishing STJ
TomB
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,454
Virginia wishing STJ
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TravelHat as got you pointed in the right direction!
The French use geography not grape type to label their wines, if Chardonnay is what you want, the French would say White Burgundy. Almost always White Burgundy is 100% Chardonnay. Some of the lesser offerings will add the grape Aligoté. In fact, you can find bottlings that are primarily Aligoté and are labeled as such which will save you $s and can be very rewarding.
When in SXM I would definitely go French. White Burgundy can be very expensive in the US, and very few wines that are less than $20 bucks a bottle represent Burgundy well (Maybe None). So while you are in French region, I would go French, because the cost can be significantly less than what you find here.
The Burgundy region runs north and south, with Chablis in the far north down to Macon in the South. The wines from Burgundy evolve from the north to the south. In the north the wines are normally dry, crisp and have wonderful minerality. As you move South they tend to get lush and take on viscosity and even some tropical flavors rarely found in Chardonnay. When you reach the south (Macon) one finds wonderful drinking wines that are usually the most affordable from the Burgundy region, but sometimes lack the grandeur of their northern brothers. The very high end wines from the Côte de Beaune will use oak, but most of the regions of White Burgundy do not. They rely on the freshness of the taste and the minerality. Honestly in wine circles White Burgundy is pretty much accepted as the queen of wine, while the red Bordeaux wines sit on the King’s throne.
You will find other Chardonnays from France on the shelf. Normally from the Languedoc region where the French wine laws are not as rigid and the product is usually for export.
I can tell you that I was lucky enough to enjoy a Corton-Charlemagne, which as sub region of Côte de Beaune, that is probably the best white wine I have ever had. I had no idea what it cost when I had it, and after I found out I just wished I made enough money to make it our house wine.
The one hint I will give you when buying wines in SXM. I would not buy a white vintage older than 2012 and definitely feel the top of the bottle. If you can feel the cork above the lip it usually means it has been under some heat and/or a second fermentation may be occurring.
Enjoy your trip and drink French.
“Every time I open a bottle of wine, it is an amazing trip somewhere!†José Andrés
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: RonDon]
#105635
08/18/2016 02:29 PM
08/18/2016 02:29 PM
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,454 Virginia wishing STJ
TomB
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,454
Virginia wishing STJ
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Pouilly-Fuissé comes from the Mâconnais region in the far south of Burgundy. The wines from this region are almost never oaked and are very affordable. I read somewhere that Pouilly-Fuissé is one of the best starting points into enjoying White wines from Burgundy.
“Every time I open a bottle of wine, it is an amazing trip somewhere!†José Andrés
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: cjr]
#105640
08/18/2016 04:33 PM
08/18/2016 04:33 PM
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,534 Ohio
ruralcarrier
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,534
Ohio
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Who needs a sommelier when you have TTOL!
J.D.
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: ruralcarrier]
#105641
08/18/2016 05:02 PM
08/18/2016 05:02 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278 Maryland/DC Metro
BeachKitten
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278
Maryland/DC Metro
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ruralcarrier said: Who needs a sommelier when you have TTOL! Lol! I was thinking something similar. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> I LOVE this thread. Maybe we are all just winos! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />
"It is good to do nothing all day, and then to rest"
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: BeachKitten]
#105643
08/18/2016 05:54 PM
08/18/2016 05:54 PM
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230 Middle Tennessee
TravelHat
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230
Middle Tennessee
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BeachKitten said:ruralcarrier said: Who needs a sommelier when you have TTOL! Lol! I was thinking something similar. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> I LOVE this thread. Maybe we are all just winos! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" /> A great TTOL get together would be a bring a bottle. We got together with friends one night and did a blind tasting. We put a dollar amount on what you could bring. Funny that the least expensive one won hands down. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: TravelHat]
#105646
08/18/2016 07:46 PM
08/18/2016 07:46 PM
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,534 Ohio
ruralcarrier
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,534
Ohio
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I went in a couple of times back in March and got some nice Cotes du Rhone.
J.D.
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: TravelHat]
#105647
08/18/2016 08:56 PM
08/18/2016 08:56 PM
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,454 Virginia wishing STJ
TomB
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,454
Virginia wishing STJ
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TravelHat said: [quote] Funny that the least expensive one won hands down. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" /> Really not that surprising. I firmly believe if you like a wine it is a good wine. But... that does not mean it is good Chardonnay for example. It may be say Chardonnay on the bottle but because it was chosen it does not make it a good Chardonnay. Many of the lower cost wines tend to use bulk grapes that require some to a large amount of chemistry to make a drinkable product. Many over use the process of adding sugar (chaptalization) to not only raise the alc % but to insure their product taste exactly the same every year. Many wine consumers like the safety of pulling a cork or unscrewing a bottle top to find the exact same taste that they have been drinking for the last 5 years. To reach that level of repeatability the taste of the actual fruit named on the label is compromised. Hence in this example the quality of Chardonnay is lost to the process. Once again I will never bad mouth a wine some on likes. If they like it is good wine - but please remember it may not (probably not) be a good representation of what the label says it is. And I will end this editorial with this important acronym: IMHO. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />
“Every time I open a bottle of wine, it is an amazing trip somewhere!†José Andrés
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: ruralcarrier]
#105648
08/18/2016 09:59 PM
08/18/2016 09:59 PM
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230 Middle Tennessee
TravelHat
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230
Middle Tennessee
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ruralcarrier said: I went in a couple of times back in March and got some nice Cotes du Rhone. You can look at the list of available wines and see the difference in prices between the USA wines and the French. Some great picks!
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: cjr]
#105649
08/19/2016 04:29 AM
08/19/2016 04:29 AM
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 702 Lake Texoma, Texas
cruzer
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 702
Lake Texoma, Texas
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Serame is a line of wines offering many varietals, including chardonnay. You can buy it at (forgive any misspelling) Le Gout du Vin in Marigot and it runs around 6-8 Euros a bottle.
Le Taitu offers this as their house wine for lunches, and Momo at Ti Bouchon keeps some on hand at times for his wines by the glass.
I find buying blindly in the grocery stores to be a frustrating experience, since there is so much bad inexpensive wine on the shelves.
And, if you are looking for better chards, I second Pony600's suggestion of Select Wine Cellar, finding Sylvain better understands our tastes in wine and can make the appropriate suggestion.
Now, you didn't hear this from me, lest the above-mentioned Sylvain permanently bar me from his shop, but try a bottle of JP Chenet to see if you like it. It runs around $5-6.
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: pony600]
#105652
08/20/2016 09:30 AM
08/20/2016 09:30 AM
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230 Middle Tennessee
TravelHat
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230
Middle Tennessee
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pony600 said: Yes, don't tell Sylvain about the PJ Chenet. that's our little secret! Not a big secret. Probably the number 1 selling wine in the world. Just look for that crooked neck bottle and enjoy. The rose is yummy.
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: TravelHat]
#105653
08/20/2016 01:44 PM
08/20/2016 01:44 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,666 MIA
irina
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,666
MIA
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: TravelHat]
#105654
08/20/2016 02:01 PM
08/20/2016 02:01 PM
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,761 Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,761
Auburn, WA
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TravelHat said:pony600 said: Yes, don't tell Sylvain about the PJ Chenet. that's our little secret! Not a big secret. Probably the number 1 selling wine in the world. Just look for that crooked neck bottle and enjoy. The rose is yummy. That"s a lot to say about a wine I have never heard of and I go through a lot of fine wine.
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: SXMScubaman]
#105657
08/20/2016 03:59 PM
08/20/2016 03:59 PM
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230 Middle Tennessee
TravelHat
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230
Middle Tennessee
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I don't think they export to US. They put that on their website. I thought it was funny. Barefoot was the number one in the world for 2015 According to The Drinks Business magazine.
Last edited by TravelHat; 08/20/2016 04:10 PM.
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Re: Chardonnay
[Re: wetravel1]
#105660
08/27/2016 03:50 PM
08/27/2016 03:50 PM
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230 Middle Tennessee
TravelHat
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,230
Middle Tennessee
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wetravel1 said: French Chard does not use oak barrels and they purposely avoid the oak. In the states, the oak makes all the difference. I beg to differ. The French wines are aged in oak barrels. The difference is the barrel. French oak barrels give the wines a more subtle oak note and let the other flavors develop as the American oak barrels bring the oak flavors forward. There is probably more American Chardonnay made in stainless tanks with oak chips thrown in the tank than anywhere else in the world.
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