Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new and developing wine regions, growing Chardonnay is seen as a "rite of passage" and an easy entry into the international wine market.  Chardonnay's popularity peaked in the late 1980s, and is one of the most widely planted grape varieties with approximately 520,000 acres worldwide.