Looking for a wine that can be described as "buttery"...
I recently tried a wine that I thought tasted “buttery” – as in, it literally had hints of butter to its flavor. What kind of wine was this? I’m thinking most likely a chardonnay, but the last couple chardonnays that I bought to try and match it were just fruity, and nothing else. How can I find that butter flavor?
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12 Answers
It’s probably Chardonnay. The buttery taste comes from malolactic fermentation, where the malic acid in the grape is converted to lactic acid. I don’t know the science, but lactic acid has the same root as lactose (i.e. milk), which is why it tastes buttery.
Any white wine that undergoes malolactic fermentation will taste buttery to some degree. Chardonnays are most common. Look for either as a descriptor on the bottle.
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I would bet it was a Chardonnay. When I first started tasting wine an Eola Hills Chardonnay elicited that response from me. It came out of my mouth and as a complete novice, I was totally embarrassed. I thought all the wine snobs around me must have thought I was an idiot. Later, I find out that “buttery” is a quality of Chardonnay.
Any oaked chardonay. ie matured in oak barrels. Chardonnay that hasn’t been aged in oak tends to very fresh and tastes of watermelon. White Burgundy (except chablis, obviously) is a good place to start but they tend to be a bit pricey. Alternatively a Californian or Aussie chardonnay that is oak aged might be what you are looking for.
Wolf Blass Chardonnay or d’Arenberg Olive Grove Chardonnay are both pretty good but your best bet is to talk to the staff in your local wine merchant and see what they suggest.
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[Fluther Moderator]: let’s try to refrain from posting juvenile responses, okay?
Here are some wines on Cork’d that are tagged as buttery. Corkd is to wines like Flickr is to pictures – people share their opinions, tag wines based on flavor, etc.
Kevbo and Lightlyseared have it right. It’s MLF and oak. I hate when I come late. :)
@Kevbo: Interestingly, the jury is still out on whether MLF changes malic acid to lactic, or whether it simply lowers the level of malic and raises the level of lactic. I read a fascinating paper on this recently. I’ll see if it’s online somewhere.
Huh. Well, I’ll be damned.
Off topic, sort of…if it does change to lactic; does that mean if I’m lactose intolerant wine is bad for me??? Dear heavens!
Probably the easiest way to find that, or a similar buttery wine, is to shop at a wine store that has a knowledgeable staff and describe what you are seeking.
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