Chardonnay
 This prestigious variety has been cultivated in France - Burgundy and Champagne - since olden times. Today it is widely distributed in all vine-growing and wine-producing countries all over the world. Its name is connected with some of the most prestigious French white wines coming from Chablis and Burgundy and the sparkling champagne wines. During recent decades the wines produced from this variety in California, Australia, Chili and Argentina have become extremely popular. The bunch is small (11/7 cm), cylindrical or cylindrical-conical single winged, compact and sometimes loose. The grape is small, spherical and sparsely speckled with tiny dots, and is sweet and juicy in flavour. The skin is thin, yellow-green and slightly covered with a waxen bloom.
Chardonnay is an early wine variety. In hot regions like the Plovdiv District it ripens at the end of August and at the beginning of September, in colder regions like northeastern Bulgaria - around the middle of September. Its fertility is very good, but the yields are not high. The variety is not resistant to Peronospore. It is strongly attacked by Oidium and, if the autumn is rainy and humid, grey mildew. That is the reason why it should be cultivated in airy, hilly regions. It has good affinity to the rootstocks Berlandieri x Riparia Cober 5 BB, SO4 and Shasla x Berlandieri 41 B, on which it is successfully cultivated. The comparatively rich, deep, humid, humus-carbonate, deluvial and maroon-wood soils of northeastern Bulgaria, Sredna Gora and the Sungurlare region are appropriate for this variety. When it reaches physiological maturity it quickly accumulates sugar - 20-24% and preserves a comparatively high acidity - 7-9 g/dm3.
White wines of extremely good quality are produced from this variety. They usually have an intense flavour, dominated by nuances of tropical fruit /melon and pineapple/ with fig and citrus accents and, if it is cultivated in limestone soils, typical mineral nuances. The wines produced from Chardonnay develop very well in oak barrels and have a rich, complex flavour.
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