Monterey was immortalised by John Steinbeck in novels such as Grapes of Wrath and Cannery Row and it's still intensely agricultural. These days wine grapes are a major crop, and one of the region's specialities is Chardonnay. Chardonnay is a grape with a chameleon-like quality - it can be made in big, ripe, rich oaky styles, or in lighter, fresher styles. The trend in these parts is definitely towards towards the latter, as Oz and James find. Wine factChardonnay is the second-most widely planted white grape variety in the world in terms of acreage. It's second only to the far-less-famous (and lower-quality) Airén grape of central Spain. Monterey wines and food Oz says, "These are loose textured, fleshy wines and should be fruity and soft - they're great with fish. There are huge fleets of boats in and out of Monterey, and seriously good fish there - not that James and I were that successful when we went out fishing though!"  The lower-oak versions of Chardonnay that Californian producers are focussing on these days are far more food-friendly than the sweet, vanilla-flavoured high-alcohol beasts of yore. Read the labels carefully and choose wines that have descriptors such as ‘unoaked’ or ‘lightly oaked’ and avoid those with more than 14 per cent alcohol, which will have quite a different, far richer, flavour profile. Recipes to go with Monterey white wines The lighter, fresher Chardonnay styles work brilliantly with a variety of foods, from salads and vegetable-based dishes (particularly those with lots of fresh herbs) to fish dishes and poultry. They're also good with Vietnamese cuisine and Asian-inspired foods.
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