Petit Chablis, I used to think, was cheap Chablis, its flavour drab in comparison with the real thing and its price unreasonably high for what it was. In supermarkets it could seem something to avoid, especially if it was going to be a present for somebody for whom the word “petit” might only arouse suspicion and seemed to me a good example of a name making perhaps higher claims for itself than it should have done.
But things appear to be changing. Sainsbury, Tesco, M&S and Waitrose are all stocking Petit Chablis that tastes better, or so I would say, than it used to, at least to my palate.
Though I would not go so far as to claim that it is now a safe buy - there are still some sour, sharp-edged ones around - the Petit Chablis now in these stores is worth tasting, and holds a deservedly prominent place on their shelves. At around £9 or £10 a bottle, the price of the Sainsbury (“Taste the Difference”) and Tesco Finest versions looks about right, though M&S at £12 and Waitrose at £11 may perhaps seem verging on the greedy.
It may not be classic Chablis as we know it and love it, but it is better than some of the more anonymous white burgundies widely available, makes a good aperitif and goes well with the food - turkey if you are already looking ahead to Christmas - you mean to eat with it.
If this is a new, more ambitious development, so much the better for that. If not, buy some anyway while current stocks last. You could do much worse. The white burgundy to be wary of at present is Macon-Villages. There is a lot of it around, too much of it depressingly dull.
25 October 2016
But things appear to be changing. Sainsbury, Tesco, M&S and Waitrose are all stocking Petit Chablis that tastes better, or so I would say, than it used to, at least to my palate.
Though I would not go so far as to claim that it is now a safe buy - there are still some sour, sharp-edged ones around - the Petit Chablis now in these stores is worth tasting, and holds a deservedly prominent place on their shelves. At around £9 or £10 a bottle, the price of the Sainsbury (“Taste the Difference”) and Tesco Finest versions looks about right, though M&S at £12 and Waitrose at £11 may perhaps seem verging on the greedy.
It may not be classic Chablis as we know it and love it, but it is better than some of the more anonymous white burgundies widely available, makes a good aperitif and goes well with the food - turkey if you are already looking ahead to Christmas - you mean to eat with it.
If this is a new, more ambitious development, so much the better for that. If not, buy some anyway while current stocks last. You could do much worse. The white burgundy to be wary of at present is Macon-Villages. There is a lot of it around, too much of it depressingly dull.
25 October 2016
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