Not the Surprise We Were Hoping For | Sutter Home vs. Olema California Chardonnay

Sutter Home Chardonnay surprised the crew by being less offensive than expected, but the real shock was how little separation there was between a $9 1.5L bottle and the $15.99 Olema California Chardonnay. The episode dives into why Chardonnay gets such a bad reputation, how oak and climate shape the wine, and why people shouldn’t give up on the grape after one bad experience.Featured wines:Sutter Home Chardonnay, California, 13.1% ABV, $7Olema California Chardonnay 2024, 13.8% ABV, $15.99The crew also crowns a winner of the “Drink This, Not That” challenge and debates whether popular budget wines deserve all the hate they get.Subscribe for weekly wine conversations.Support the show and help keep the wine flowing!Buy us a glass!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/cheers3⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with the show. We would love to hear from you!Stop Wasting Your Wine on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stopwastingyourwine/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stop Wasting Your Wine on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@StopWastingYourWine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Stop Wasting Your Wine Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stopwastingyourwine.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chapters00:00 - Intro and Challenge Recap01:18 - Todays Wine09:37 - First Impressions of Sutter Home Chardonnay18:14 - First Impressions of Olema Chardonnay23:24 - Why Chardonnay Is So Divisive31:44 - Exploring Chardonnay Styles Around the World34:14 - Revisiting the Olema After It Opens Up35:22 - Review and Final Thoughts40:13 - Deciding the Drink This, Not That Winner47:26 - Upcoming Napa Wine Company Episodes48:08 - Where to Follow the Show