Chablis Wine - Modern Wine Industry

Modern Wine Industry

Despite its long history and association with Chardonnay, the wines of Chablis are often overshadowed by the New World expression of the varietal and even by other Burgundian Chardonnays such as Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne and Meursault. Still the legacy of its history has left it mark by the wide semi-generic use of the word "Chablis" to describe most any white wine, regardless of where it was made and from what grapes. In recent years, Chablis producers have fought hard to protect the Chablis designation, using legal pressure to get foreign countries to recognize their trademark on the term. For most of the 20th century, Chablis was more widely consumed on the export market rather than the domestic French market which tend to favor the Côte d'Or Chardonnays. Unlike other areas of Burgundy, négociants are not as influential in the Chablis wine industry. While they were more prominent early in the last century, the trend towards estate bottling and co-operatives have shifted the dynamic of economy more in favor of the individual growers and producer. The La Chablisienne co-operative makes nearly a third of all wine produced in Chablis today.